There are many types of tattoo designs, which can be sorted into major categories such as black and grey tattoos, biomechanical tattoos, new school tattoos, Japanese, tribal, Celtic, and many others. Within these categories, the subject matter often follows various subjects, eg. Koi with Japanese tattooing, or cards, flames, dice, and swallows in New School Tattooing. Any image can be tattooed in the 'Japanese', 'New School' 'Tribal'...

The Pazyryk ( Russian : Пазарык ) is the name of an ancient nomadic people who lived in the Altai Mountains lying in Siberian Russia south of the modern city of Novosibirsk , near the borders of China , Kazakhstan and Mongolia . In this part of the Ukok Plateau , many ancient Bronze Age barrow -like tomb mounds of larch logs covered over by large cairns of boulders and stones have been found. These spectacular burials of the Pazyryk culture...

When the Samoan Islands were first seen by Europeans in 1722 three Dutch ships commanded by Jacob Roggewein visited the eastern island known as Manua. A crew member of one of the ships described the natives in these words, “They are friendly in their speech and courteous in their behavior, with no apparent trace of wildness or savagery. They do not paint themselves, as do the natives of some other islands, but on the lower part of the body...

Created by the Akan people of Ghana, and the Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire in West African Tattoo History|Africa the Adinkra symbols represent concepts or aphorisms. Adinkra are used on fabric, walls, in pottery, woodcarvings and logos. They also can be used to communicate evocative messages that represent parts of their life or those around them. Nyame Nti Adinkrahene Akoma Ntoso Denkyem ...

The history of tattooing in Africa dates back thousands of years. Until the recent discovery of Otzi the Iceman, the oldest known tattoos belonged to the mummy of Amunet, a priestess of the goddess Hathor somewhere between 2160 BC -1994 BC. With her simple parallel lines on her arms, legs, and an elliptical pattern below her navel, Amunet was the oldest glimpse we know had into tattooing in Africa, and the world. The designs found on her...

Know as the "Dayak", meaning "interior" or "inland" person, the variety of indigenous native tribes of Borneo have a tradition of tattooing that describes their fundamental identity as tribespeople, headhunters, warriors, and community members. Both the men and the women were tattooed, and for a variety of reasons. Dayak tattoo mythology All aspects of Dayak tatttoing showed a great reverence for ancestors, the departed spirits who...

Sak yant, (also called yantra tattooing), is a form of sacred tattooing practiced in Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia and Thailand. Sak yant are normally tattooed by Buddhist monks or Brahmin priests. The most famous temple in the present day for Yant tattooing is Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Chaysri, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. The Yantra designs that already existed in Hindu India were adapted by the Khmer as Buddhism arrived...

Mentawai tattoo Mythology The Mentawai people are the indiginous inhabitants of the Mentawai Islands - a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia . In Mentawai mythology, a young boy transformed himself into the first Sago tree so that his people would never run out of food. This Sago tree is one of the most revered symbols of Mentawai people's religion, Jarayak, and this tree image is tattooed...

Philippino Tribal Tattoos In traditional terms, the Philippines consist of three main island groups - Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are steeped in tattooing traditions, many of which have been supressed throughout the past by invading countries and empires. The men of Visayas wore such intricate and extensive tattoos that early Spanish explorers called their part of the Philippines 'La Isla De Los Pintados' - meaning the island of the...

Geographically, and oversimply, Polynesia may be described as a triangle with its corners at Hawaii , New Zealand and Easter Island . The other main island groups located within the Polynesian triangle are Samoa , Tonga , the various island chains that form the Cook Islands and French Polynesia . Niue is a rare solitary island state near the centre of Polynesia. The practise of tattooing in ancient Polynesian society was used to denote...