MAIN  Art & Culture  Body Art  Tattoos  Tribal Tattoos

For its unique look, and its historical connections to ancient and mysterious rituals, the tribal tattoo has become one of the most popular tattoo designs ever - especially among trend-setting celebrities.

Boxer Mike Tyson goes for in-your-face tribal look. Sandra Bullock has a tribal tattoo just below her navel, while former Bay Watch babe Pamela Anderson has a tribal design on her lower back.

However, among the famous who are inscribed with a tribal tattoo, the one who wears it most authentically is wrestler and actor, Dwayne Johnson - better known as The Rock - who is of Samoan descent and has a tribal half-sleeve tattoo on his left upper arm and shoulder.

Samoan, in fact, was the language that gave us the Polynesian word tatau, or tattoo, which was later adopted by early European sailors exploring the South Seas where tattooing had been practiced for thousands of years.

Also originating in Polynesia, the Maori migrated to New Zealand around 1000 AD and brought with them the custom of blackening their faces for battle. The abstract lines were later permanently applied as tattoos, most notably in ta moko face designs that became a rite of passage and status symbol for young Maori warriors.

Elsewhere in the South Pacific, the graceful swirls of Borneo's ancient tribal designs are one of the most popular today, and sometimes incorporated with Samoan motifs in a 21st century reinterpretation of modern primitive.

On the Web, discover more on the topic in virtual travel tours, photo galleries and feature stories about the history, mystery and wild popularity of tribal tattoo designs ...

Starting our Tribal Tattoo Journey - Take the virtual tour through Borneo, San Francisco, Hawaii, Yokohama, Japan, Polynesia, the Bering Sea, Alaska, Philippines & Scotland with extensive photos, history & tribal tattoo trivia, from Vanishing Tattoo.com.

Captain Brett's Tribal Tattoo Photos - Huge collection from the Newport, Rhode Island studio featuring dozens of tribal tattoo photos and a brief history of tribal art & symbolism.

Tattoo Designs - Tribal - Nice collection free for viewing by Monique's Euro Tattoo Studio in New Zealand.

Tribal Tattoos and Tattoo Design - Tattoo Johnny.com offers up a brief history of tribal art and why it's so popular as a tattoo design, along with a gallery of examples available for download in the online shop.

Tribal Tattos Picture Gallery - Another huge collection of visitor-submitted photos in several galleries at RankMyTatto.com.

"Tribal" Tattoos - Visitor-submitted photos of their favorite tribal tattoos in hundreds of picture galleries, but be prepared to register to view the entire collection.

Maori Chief on Facial Tattoos and Tribal Pride - Archived National Geographic feature including an interview with Maori native George Nuku on native art, culture and moko face tattoos, with related links to more information.

Maori Tattoos - Essay and photo gallery of modern moko designs.

also see -> Butterfly Tattoos | Celebrity Tattoos | Celtic Tattoos

Dragon Tattoos | Japanese Designs | Traditional Tattoos