Native American Tattoos

Native American tattoos are far more than just decorative ink. Each design and line has its own meaning and purpose. For this reason, be sure to think carefully and do plenty of research before deciding to get inked with a Native American symbol.

Native Americans have been tattooing their bodies since the beginning of their residence in the Americas. These symbols and pictures bear some resemblance to tribal designs today, but had much more meaning than the random lines and colors used in modern tattoos. Tribes tended to use these tattoos to signify major events in a wearer's life, or to show belonging to a specific tribe. Native American tattoos were also used to show "rank" within the tribe - depending on tribal culture - and different symbols were worn by chiefs, warriors and hunters.

Some Native American tribes would tattoo young men when they attained full adult status. In all cases, the procedure was relatively the same: the skin of the person being tattooed would be cut or pricked by one of several different types of sharp objects. These included sharpened rocks, sea shells and plant material such as wood or thorny bushes. Then, a dye was prepared - either from the soot that was produced in fires, or from berries or other natural sources. The dye was rubbed into the fresh wounds and then allowed to scar over and heal. This process is very similar to tribal tattoos performed by the Maori and other Polynesian tribes - and continues to this day.

Today, many people looking to connect with Native American culture choose to get tattoos bearing symbols of different tribes, or generic Native American tattoos. These tattoos can range from "typical" Native American pictures, such as wolves and feathers, up to other images that are associated with parts of the country that were settled by Native Americans. Many people feel that tattoos that depict Western culture, such as cow skulls, eagles, tumbleweeds and horses are also in line with a Native American style. Tattoos of Native American spirit guides are also popular - and if you feel associated with a specific animal, it might make a great tattoo. Some examples of this are the previously mentioned wolf and eagle, as well as the bear, phoenix, wild cat and other strong animals. For women, many choose to get tattoos of dreamweavers, a popular woven amulet that is said to guard the wearer against bad dreams and influences in the night.

There are many people in the United States that can claim to have some Native American blood in them. These people may not be in contact with the tribe that they are supposed to have descended from, or they may not know exactly who their ancestors were. Others may believe they are aligned with a certain tribe, for example the Cherokee, when they are actually Sioux or some other tribe. For this reason, it's very important to do a lot of research and study before getting a specific tribe's symbols tattooed on your body. If you have no real affiliation with that tribe, it is best to not get their sacred symbols tattooed on you - even if you think that you are descended from their tribe. It is frowned upon and can become an issue if you ever want to reconnect with your Native American roots.

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