You do not find much more powerful and striking tattoos than Maori tattoo designs, they are tattoo designs that hold strong significance for the wearer which comes from the Maori culture, while also making simply beautiful designs to wear. These days Maori tattoos are so popular and good looking that many people get them purely for the way they look, but in the case of maori tattoos it is not a good idea to get yourself inked with one before you have fully investigated the meaning behind the image, because these tattoos hold such strong significance in Maori culture.

Be sure to look into what these tattoos mean before you choose one to get inked on your body. The Maori people are the indigenous people that live in New Zealand, and are orignially Polynesian by race. They first arrive in Polynesia just before the 14th century, Where they selltled in and developed their society and way of life into something unique. The lives of the maori went relatively undisrupted on any large and dramatic scale until the arrival of Europeans in the 1700s, which unfortunately led to the maori tribes declining in number throughout the 1800s. But Maori culture and tattoos have undergone a popular revival in the last 40 years around the world.

This is particularly the case with Maori tattoo designs, which have become immensely popular in many different countries. Because of their uniquely dramatic and powerful shapes and curves.

If you’d like to read my review of the most popular online gallery to buy Maori tattoo designs, go here: Chopper Tattoo Review

The story in Maori culture about the origins of Maori tattoos says that tattooing began with a love affair – between a young man named Mataori and a princess of the underworld called Niwareka. According to the legend, one day the lovers argued and Mataora beat Niwareka, causing Niwareka to flee back to her father’s kingdom in the underworld, called ‘Uetonga’.

Mataora was filled with a terrible regret and shame, and followed his lover into the underworld, where he had to overcome many gruelling challenges and tasks. Before he finally arrived in Uetonga. When he arrived he was mocked by Niwareka’s family for his bedraggled appearance. His clothes and face paint had been all but wiped from him. Mataora begged Niwareka for forgiveness, and still in love with him, she eventually granted it and accepted his apology. Then before they returned to the real world, Niwareka’s father, impressed by Mataori, decided to teach his the art of tattooing.

You can find out more about Maori tattoo designs here: About Maori Tattoos

You can read a good article on the meaning of all Tribal tattoos here: The Meaning of Tribal Tattoos