Ethnic style tattoos are unlikely to ever cease to be popular, because the ancient traditions of the ancestors, which have come down to descendants through the millennia, simply cannot lose their relevance.
Basically, for a tattoo, ornamental drawings are chosen that are characteristic of the fine arts of a particular culture. Such works look the most authentic, since people decorated their bodies with such tattoos in ancient times. Often it is enough just to look at the drawing, and it already becomes clear from which part of the world it comes from. If the composition contains images of deities or symbols associated with religious cults, those who are at least a little familiar with the features of art different peoples, it will be clear where the author of the sketch of this ethnic style tattoo drew inspiration from. Such drawings always have certain features that are not typical for any other cultures.
When creating a sketch of a tattoo in an ethnic style, you can rely on the traditions of any nation. For example, people who are keen on studying the history, culture and mythology of the Maya or the Aztecs choose for themselves images in which the features characteristic of the fine arts of these particular tribes are clearly traced. Adherents of the northern tradition opt for runes, Thor's hammer, stylized shields and axes, drakkars, mythical characters, for example, the Ermungand snake encircling the Earth, Odin's ravens, and Valkyries. Today we will talk about the most popular ornamental ethnic tattoos, images that can most often be found in such works.
Now we perceive tattoos in the Polynesian style simply as a decoration of the body, but the islanders to this day endow these bizarre patterns, spirals and geometric figures with a special sacred meaning, and the process of drawing the drawing itself remains a sacrament, all the nuances of which are known only to the priests. Traditionally, a tattoo was considered more of a male prerogative, the drawings on the male body were often quite large-scale, replete with various details and images. Today, this style is also popular mainly among guys.
Initially, such tattoos served as amulets that bring happiness and good luck to the life of their owner, amulets for warriors who protect in battle. Drawings on the body could tell about the most important milestones in a person’s life, for example, about military merits, raising social status, and revealed certain traits of his character.
Polynesian ethnic patterns are not limited to abstract images; stylized animals, celestial bodies, attributes of hunters and warriors are often found in tattoos. Each such drawing has its own semantic load, the symbolism that the ancient islanders endowed it with. Consider the most common images and their meaning:
In India, decorating the body with drawings is a centuries-old tradition. Painting girls' hands with henna (mehndi) was an obligatory part of the ceremony preceding the marriage. Usually these were floral ornaments, talismans promising a happy family life, fertility, healthy offspring. The hands of the temple dancers were also adorned with intricate ritual designs. Clay painting was also widespread, the most striking example of which is bindi, a red dot on the forehead, third eye symbol.
Modern tattoos with Indian motifs have retained the main distinguishing features of the traditional ornament, but nowadays, in addition to patterns, you can create many bright compositions, sometimes even telling a whole story.
Modern ethnic tattoos as an art form arose under the influence of ancient body designs and primitive tribal ornaments. In the old days, all these drawings were applied to the surface of the body for specific purposes. They served as amulets, talismans and amulets.
Ethnic tattoos include the following images:
Each variety is marked by certain features. However, modern masters mix styles and trends, creating their own unique pattern based on ancient motifs.
So, the tribal drawings of the island of Borneo are characterized by impressive size and the presence of wide black lines that imitate images of plants and animals. The tribes of the Marquesas prefer composite images of clear and regular geometric shapes. Celtic patterns are characterized by thinner lines, depicting, in addition to plants and animals, crosses and shields. Haida tattoos mainly contain astrological symbols and the natural world. They are dominated by black and red tones.
By ethnic it is customary to mean tattoos of many peoples of the world. However, most often this term is correlated with underwear drawings of only a few exotic Polynesian tribes.
Connoisseurs of ethnic identity are increasingly resorting to the use of the motifs of the New Zealand Maori tribe. Initially, people from the Maori tribe applied tattoos for sacred purposes. They used mostly black and gray paints, and as a tool they used sea shell, shark tooth, bones of fish or albatrosses, with which the image was cut out on the skin. All images were unique and reflected the life of a particular person.
Both men and women adorned themselves with similar patterns. Men covered tattoos on their legs, buttocks and face, women covered their back, neck, lips and chin. The composition was one clear line branched into a large number of curls and spirals.
Similar images are also found among the peoples of the North. The technique of execution among the northern tribes is much simpler and not so painful. The performer passed a thread smeared with soot under the skin and tugged it, thereby obtaining the necessary lines.
Usually, hands (and mainly the female part of the tribe) were decorated in this way. The meaning of tattoos was carefully hidden, even the closest people were not dedicated to this secret. There is information that some tattoos were applied immediately before the death of a person and meant a connection with ancestors, carried a religious connotation.
Polynesian tattoos are similar to wood carvings. In the presence of very clear lines and contours, the plexus of patterns is unusually ornate. The composition consists of several main lines:
Symmetry is a characteristic feature of ethnic tattoos. She embodies the true beauty of nature and the world around her. Polynesians call their tattoos "moko".
Maori people with tattoos usually occupy a high position in society. The more tattoos on the body, the higher the status. A person without a tattoo in the tribe is considered a slave. However, drawing a picture must be earned. Only priests who are fluent in the ta-moko technique have the right to apply it.
Each ethnic symbol occupies a certain place on the body and has its own special sacred meaning:
The inhabitants of Polynesia attached special importance to each symbol depicted on the body. They displayed the biography, strengths, abilities, character traits and social status of a particular person. At the same time, the patterns served as a talisman that protected from life's adversities, or a talisman that helped to achieve success in achieving goals.
The main plots of ethnic tattoos of this people:
Professional tattoo artists offer a variety of unique plots in ethnic style. In the salons there are stacks of photos with ethnic tattoos and sketches for them. However, when choosing a particular drawing, it must be borne in mind that it should reflect the character, traits, individuality of the individual and tell the story of your life. After all, the art of this or that people has been developing for many centuries. This is not a simple set of characters and signs.
Ethnic tattoo is a direction that has gained popularity not so long ago. Ethnic tattoos take their origins from ancient times. They were characteristic of the Byzantine peoples, Scythian tribes, Celts and other cultures. An ethnic style tattoo can cover almost the entire human body, intricate patterns are distinguished by volume and variety. In ancient times, people applied various ornaments and marks showing the status of a person, his life achievements or simply decorating the body. Also, ethnic tattoos were a kind of amulets and amulets.
Tattoo artists combine sketches of ethnic tattoos with contemporary art. Ethnic tattoos are very noticeable, they are hard to confuse with another direction. The drawing is made up of smooth lines and dots that blend perfectly with the strokes.
Over the years, several areas of ethnic tattoo have been formed. There is a conditional qualification:
This is far from a complete list. Every year new trends and styles are popularized. Let's dwell on the most famous in more detail.
Tattoos of this direction are distinguished by special originality, brightness and expressiveness. Although the vast majority of tattoos were invented by modern masters, they are based on genuine elements of the culture of the Scythian peoples. An example is the body of a warrior-leader found during excavations in the Altai Mountains. Numerous original drawings were applied to it. It turned out that they were made by piercing. The execution of all elements was made in the animal style, and on the chest there was a place for the image of a lion-griffin, personifying greatness and great strength. You can see it in a photo on the Internet.
In the modern Scythian style, on an ethnic style tattoo, the main drawing is done in front. The images contain images of animals or mythical creatures. The design of the back of the body should complement the front, but the drawings are not particularly difficult.
Indian ethnic tattoos are particularly mysterious and mysterious. They are colorfully decorated, they have a deep meaning. The most famous is the dream catcher. This tattoo helps protect against negative energy and get rid of nightmares.
Animals depicted on the human body have their own meanings. The bear symbolizes courage and strength, and also denotes the victory of the owner in an unequal battle. The bull says that the owner of this ornament is a desperate and risky person. The wolf conveys qualities such as intuition and perseverance. Portraits of Indian women are popular among girls, symbolizing not only glory and courage, but also beauty and grace.
Perhaps the most popular trend in ethnic tattooing. It was constantly influenced by other cultures, so it is not individual and homogeneous. Images are characterized by the presence of leaves and other components of various plants. Later, the drawing began to be supplemented with animals. All together it looks quite original and harmonious.
Gained popularity quite recently - only at the beginning of the 21st century. The origins of modern ethnic tattoo in this direction come from tribal ornaments that were used to decorate the bodies of tribal priests. The owner of such ornaments received universal honor and respect. Special vegetable thorns or fish bones were used to apply underwear drawings. The variety and sophistication of the images showed the noble origin of man.
Usually applied such elements as spirals on the chin, two large spirals on the cheek. There were also curved lines, in the form of rays, diverging from the nose, passing over the eyebrows and descending to the ears.
Sketches of this direction are borrowed from Chinese culture. Conventionally, they are divided into two categories: irezumi and gaman. The first variety is inherent in convicts who were forced to apply subcutaneous drawings. The second was a demonstration of such a quality in men as patience.
Special reverence in Japanese culture was given. They were performed by rubbing rice powder into incisions in the skin. They appeared only when excited or after water procedures. The images featured dragons and samurai, and the motifs were old fairy tales and legends about the sea.
Previously, tattoos in Japan were for privileged persons, and the pattern was passed down from generation to generation. In modern times, the inhabitants of Japan do not really like this type of body art, because criminals often decorate their bodies with tattoos.
For each nation, a certain meaning is invested in a certain image. But at present, the meaning of the ethnic tattoo is not given much attention. These images do not have age and gender distinctions. Everyone can see a photo with sketches and choose a tattoo for themselves, the motif of which will be combined with ancient symbols and a modern component.
Relatively recently, the Ethnic style has become very popular in the world of tattoos. It would seem that a new fashionable trend attracts visitors with its bizarre shapes, various weaves and patterns, but if you look closely, then Ethnics can be attributed to the oldest type of tattoo art.
The name of the style speaks of a deep past, of course, the name of the tattoo style could be anything, but this name of the style is not accidental. The whole style, forms and drawings in the Ethnic style are taken from the depths of history, there are different directions, but all of them are united by ancient symbolism and a clear designation of each depicted line, bend and symbol. In the ancient world, people decorated their bodies with various designs that symbolized their occupation, life history, achievements, attachment to various deities and powers. Each individual image or their complex symbolized the story of life, according to which, without words, knowledgeable people could learn more about a person than any stories.
The forms, appearance and designation of symbols have survived to this day thanks to ancient epics, chronicles, legends and epics. In many legends, drawings and their designations are literally described verbatim, even without a visual picture, an exact copy of the image can be recreated from words. Also, the deciphered records on the ancient tablets make it possible to give the ancient symbols a pictorial meaning. Why has this style gained popularity relatively recently? The answer lies in historical prejudice and persecution. Basically, all the symbolism of Ethnics is associated with the ancient gods, the forces of nature, the unity of man and the world around him. Since in most countries there was an imposition of faith, the persecution of the old gods, a completely understandable ban appeared on the application of “pagan” and objectionable symbols to the body. Of course, at first, it was perceived with hostility, but year after year, century after century, and Ethnics practically disappeared. It was preserved only in small communities living according to ancient laws that did not recognize the new faith. These communities also influenced the revival this style. Nowadays, when there is complete freedom of information and choice, this prohibition has dissolved and ceased to be relevant. People began to study their origins, culture and ancestors more deeply, as a result, tattoos rose to the surface, which later became known as Ethnics.
These tattoos stand out from the rest, they are difficult to confuse with other styles. Ethnics consists of smooth clear lines, dots that intertwine with rough strokes, creating a single picture. Depending on the region where the symbolism was found, its historical affiliation and nationality, several main areas of Ethnics are divided:
Of course, there are many more subspecies, but the data are the main ones.
According to statistics, in the first place in the modern world is the Celtic theme. This fact is due to the fact that the image uses various trees, leaves and animals woven into the overall picture, which are complementary to each other. The modernized Celtic theme is a real canvas, enchanting with its incorruptible beauty and natural integrity. Also, it is worth noting that the style of Ethnics, which originated among the Papuans of New Guinea, is actively gaining popularity. The drawing is based on simple figures, circles, squares, rhombuses, rectangles are not remarkable separately, in the total mass they are woven into a pattern, creating the image of a multifaceted kaleidoscope. These tattoos can be of different sizes, there are cases that in this style the entire body is completely covered, turning the tattoo into a single canvas and a second skin, because in this case the drawing has neither beginning nor end.
Ethnic style, at the same time the oldest and youngest in the tattoo world. It develops both with the help of the imagination of the masters, and from historical treatises, myths and legends. This symbiosis of ancient knowledge and the craftsmanship of contemporaries gives rise to unique creations that not only carry a deep meaning, but also delight the eyes of others.
