Interested in Native American tattoo art? Want to know meanings of Native American tattoos? Read on to discover valuable info on the topic…
Tattoos amongst the Native Americans were taken as status symbols. They were also a means of depicting cultural connections with an individual’s lineage and heredity. At the same time Native American tattoo art, much like everything else in their culture was rich with symbolism and creative designs.
Native American tattoos have gained popularity in modern times as well. This is largely due to the impressive drawings and unique symbols developed by the Native Americans. They would make use of various different elements of nature and animals in particular to create tattoo designs that seem out of the box to us.
For the Native Americans everything in life carried a deeper meaning. Tattoo art was not just about creating good looking designs. Rather it was an attempt to uncover the deeper meaning of things. Tattooing was as such considered to be a spiritual activity and not a fashion frenzy.
Native American Tattoo Styles
Animal tattoos are by far the most popular kind of Native American tattoos. The Native Americans derived many symbols based on animals which were developed into tattoo designs. The eagle tattoo was one of the most popular designs in many tribes. The eagle carried great religious significance amongst the Natives.
Wolf tattoos were also amongst the most sacred and revered tattoo designs amongst the Natives. Wolves were taken as a symbol of loyalty and success with their habit of mating for life. Native American animal tattoos are regarded as having zodiac lineage. Individuals interested in getting Native American tattoos first find out which particular zodiac sign matches with their birth date and then go for the animal design of their choice.
However animal tattoos are not the only kinds developed by Native Americans. There are various others that depict elements of nature such as fire, water, wind etc. These go to show the love and reverence of nature that the Native Americans had. Furthermore elements like wind for example were believed to be a living entity by the Native Americans.
Traditional Native American Tattoos
Other traditional symbols also found themselves being transformed into tattoo designs. Foremost amongst them was the arrow in various forms. Arrow tattoos depicting protection and warding off evil were common amongst many different tribes.
The cosmic cross is another popular traditional tattoo symbol. It features a circle with a cross smack in the middle. Each of the sections had smaller circles drawn inside them. This was the symbol for the world as developed by the Hopi people. The four smaller circles stood for four Native American Nations. The cross signified directions.
Native American symbols are rich with symbolism and this is one of the main appealing factors that draws people to these designs. They are taken as a great expression of individuality and are suggestive that the wearer likes to live in tune with nature.
