Reasons to Get Inked With Tribal Hawaiian Tattoo Designs

Tattooing is one of the very important rituals in Hawaiian culture, like praying to a tattoo god each time one member of their community commits to a tattoo in which prayers had to be done in the temple. The purposes for tattooing are not primarily to follow a fashion trend. As a ritual, most tattoos represent these few intentions like mourning for a lost loved one, the charm of Talisman for protection from evil spirits, and personal identification which community or group they represent.

One of the most popular Hawaiian tattoo designs is the tribal design. The Tribal Hawaiian tattoo art, known as Kakau, has been practiced for thousands of years and for a variety of purposes. These purposes are Personal identification; Talisman wherein tattoos were believed to offer protection; as a symbol of mourning for a loved one; and Adornment. Getting a Hawaiian tattoo in a tribal community was not a very pleasant occasion because modern tattoo equipment was not part of tribal life instead they used sharp and pointy parts of animals, like bird beaks and claws that were connected to a branch and hit with a mallet. Tribal Hawaiian tattoos were mostly black and the tattoo ink was made of a mixture of kukui nuts and sugarcane juice.

Tribal Hawaiian tattoo designs are situated on several body parts. For males it is located in the legs, arms and torso, on the other hand for females it is located in the hands, wrist and tongue; and lastly for the traditional Hawaiian tattoo design is the Hawaiian Band and arms tattoos which are commonly placed on legs and arms.

Hawaiian arm tattoos are often a nod to the traditional Hawaiian tattoo style, though with a decidedly modern appearance. Michael Malone, tattoo artist and one of the students of Sailor Jerry created the Hawaiian armband tattoo in the 70s. Although he based his designs on the traditional Hawaiian tattoo motifs, the armband itself is not traditional later on the armband tattoo became popular amongst Hawaiian youth who wanted to express its heritage. The Hawaiian arm tattoos are also a manifestation of the resurgence of 'Tiki' culture which is so popular in the 1950s and 60s wherein its tattoo patterns are on the hands and the face. Tiki refers to the mythical ancestor and first human.




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