Tribal tattoo art has been around since the dawn of time.  Early tribes and cavemen designed unique tattoo art.  Tribes have created these tattoos for several purposes.  To begin with it represents the unique characteristics for individual tribes.  The tattoos are used to transform and enhance all kinds of characteristics of a person’s body and/or face.

Another important reason for having a technique in tattooing has changed very little, even over the course of hundreds of years and throughout several wars and struggles.  Tattoos to the Samoans were a sort of right-of-passage from youth to maturity.  All boys would get tattoos on their faces and bodies to symbolize developing into a man.  On the other hand, the procedure was quite painful and highly dangerous, as the risk of infection was high.  These boys persevered, the key reason being that if they did not receive a tattoo, they would be tagged as cowardly and bring disgrace to their families.

The Celtic method of tribal tattoo art is another style of tattoo design that is unique. Unlike the Polynesian tattoo designs, it isn’t used in modern times very often.  It was used by the Celtic people of Ireland, England and France. Although it was quite common in Northern Europe thousands of years ago, it slowly diminished, and in around the year 1000 AD, it wasn’t used any longer. Unlike most other tribal designs, it used humans in the tattoos. It also used interlaced spirals and lines and animals in the designs.

Tribal tattoos can also indicate the life experiences a person has faced.  This is frequent among the tribes of Borneo and the Marquesan Islands. The tattoo art on their bodies would tell a story, often showing where that person was from and important events that had happened in their lives. Some tattoos would even describe a persons qualities and personality.