Tribal Art
The origins of tribal art dates back to Native Americans living in the United States. They used their art as a way to symbolize different things and placed meaning behind all designs. Native Americans even used their art as a way of identifying different groups of people. For example, some tribes used the same symbol as a way of identifying other related tribes in the area. Others used their art to indicate a connection between two people like in the case of marriage.
Tribal art often used animals in the pieces. These animals showed the connection the tribes felt with nature and their spiritual side. There were many who used an animal as their tribal name and believed that animal served as their spirit guide or connection to the other world. They used these figures on totem poles and in other ways as well.
Today, when many people think of tribal art they think about tribal tattoos. Tribal designs are one of the top tattoos requested. Some of the designs relate back to those used by Native American people, while others relate more to modern ideas of those designs. Individual tribes used tattoos on their body as a way of recognizing each other.
Resources on the topic include:
- Tribal Arts: magazine devoted to historical and current tribal arts.
- Tribal Tattoo Designs: some of the more popular tribal designs.
- Tribal Works: features different types of tribal art from different people around the world.
- Tribal Tattoos: focuses on the different meanings behind different tattoos.
- Tribal Art Tattoo Designs: shows actual tattoos submitted by users.
Those who seek tribal tattoos often do so because they have Native American ancestry. They had a Cherokee grandmother or a Sioux grandfather and want to pay homage to that individual. Then there are those that just like the idea of a tribal tattoo because it looks great and more interesting than some of the more traditional ideas. With the popularity of tribal tattoos growing, it shows that there will always be an interest in tribal art.
