Maori tattoo designs

• Maori pattern - the tip of a spear

** Check out more Maori Tattoo Design HERE

The spearheads can be seen on almost every Polynesian tattoo design. The symbol stands for courage and struggle. They are usually used in combination with other symbols to convey certain meanings. For example, a band of spearheads and a band of Enata symbols by its side means victory over the opponent.

• Polynesian Tattoos - Maori Pattern Shark Teeth

Shark teeth stand for protection, leadership, power, savagery, adaptability, etc. In Polynesian legends, sharks also represent the god of the Polynesians. Its authoritarian charisma make the shark motif very popular. It can be used to fill gaps or to frame certain areas and also the whole tattoo. The triangles can taper to any point, i.e. they can be designed to be equilateral or isosceles.

• Polynesian Tattoo Symbols - Lizard (or Gecko) Meaning

In Polynesian culture, lizards and geckos are considered to be manifestations of the gods with the name Moko (this is also the name of the face tattoo in Maori culture). This creature can talk to the gods, observe the world beyond, bring happiness. In Maori culture it is believed that the lizard protects against evil and disease.

Maori tribal full back tattoo, only for men.

 

Tribal Maori Tattoos:

One of the most prolific tattoo designs are the tribal tattoos with their free-flowing lines and intricate structures.

Many ancient tribes used tattoos to mark themselves as a sign of identification and also as a sign of loyalty to a particular tribe. The Maori tribe from New Zealand still use tattoos to mark members of the tribe, and some tribes in Africa too use tribal tattoos to mark tribesmen. Tattoos have long been a mark of individualistic expression and a symbol of ones faith and belief system. Using the body as a moving canvas, many people are getting tattoos to showcase their views and preferences. The word tattoo comes form the Samoa word 'tatau', Polynesian tribal tattoos are deemed to be as old as the art of tattooing itself. Hawaii has similar culture as the other pacific islands and Hawaiian tribal tattoos are also in great demand nowadays.

Back tattoo, Maori tribal design:

A great place to have tattoos is the back, simply because of the large flat area available to experiment