XY Studio - tattoo studio Gdańsk
XY Studio - tattoo studio Gdańsk
+48 691 119 219
XY Studio - tattoo studio Gdańsk

TRIBAL

Tribal history

The oldest mention of tribal tattoos dates back to the Neolithic. The earliest example of this style is the mummified body of the mysterious man Otzi, covered with 61 tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines. Archaeologists discovered that they come from 5000 years ago! Until now, it is believed that it was Otzi who brought tribal tattoos to the world. The patterns on his body - perfectly connected dots and lines - laid the foundations for the well-known to us today tribal. What's interesting, most of his tattoos had a deep meaning, indicating that he lived in an advanced society.

Many other examples of tribal tattoos, which are also believed to be among the first, have been found on the bodies of mummies. These findings show that initially the inhabitants of Egypt marked the lower abdomen area with numerous dots and straight lines. After some time, their tattoos began to take the form of illustrations and elements such as lotus flowers, animals and the Eye of Horus appeared in them.

In many ancient tribal tattoo designs, you can see the imprints of animals or forces of nature that emphasized the skills of a warrior in action. For many tribal societies, tattooing was a ritual used to mark changes in life or social status, and only members of the tribe or culture were able to read the meaning of the particular designs.

Tribal - what is it characterized by?

Inconspicuous-looking tribals turn out to be quite a challenge, because it is important not only to maintain a uniform color, but also the place where the tattoo will be placed. Choosing the right piece of skin is important because of the flowing lines that characterize this style. In order for the tribal to look good for many years, the lines should run along the shape of the muscles.

Although the purpose of tribal tattoos has changed significantly - they are no longer a symbol of the wearer's achievements - there is no denying their lack of charisma. Currently, they are more and more often combined with geometric patterns, plant or animal symbols, but they are still one of the most popular ways of self-expression. While many tribes and peoples around the world today have their own styles and meanings of tribal tattoos, in modern culture we mostly associate them with large areas of solid, usually black, color and curved, abstract forms.

Tribal artists

Tribal tattoo artists include: Whang-od (the oldest and last tattoo artist cultivating the traditional art of mambabatok), Victor J Webster, Igor Kampman, Dmitry Babakhin, Taku Oshima, Gerhard Wiesbeck, Jeroen Franken.