The significance of different designs of American Indian tattoos varied as did the reasons for adopting tattoo traditions. The pictures consist of paintings by famous artists such as George Catlin and Karl Bodmer who were motivated in the 1800's to capture the essence of the indigenous population in their natural environments and conveying their images and lifestyles before they were inevitably and irrevocably changed by the white Europeans. If you are looking for inspiration and ideas for unusual depictions of Native American Indians as tattoos refer to our gallery containing authentic Pictures of the Native Americans of most of the Indian tribes. The spirit of the animal was believed to favor the clan it represented in the tattoo - refer to Animal TotemsĪmerican Indian Tattoos - Ideas from Pictures The figure representing the totem of the Native American tribe was sometimes tattooed upon the breast of the Indian.
The turtle, tortoise, bear, beaver and the wolf were the totems of the "first families" reflecting their social prestige. The totem served the same purpose to the Native Americans as the family name in Western culture. The totem was a symbol of identification that formed the distinguishing mark of tribes or clans. Refer to the Picture Dictionary of Symbols for ideas for tattoosĪmerican Indian Tattoos - Totems and TattoosĪ totem was a common emblem or symbol consisting of the figure of an animal, bird, or reptile - refer to Power Animals. The beauty of of these ideas for designs of American Indian Tattoos are in their simplicity and their symbolism. The following Native American Symbols offer some ideas of tattoo designs that convey specific meanings. Native American symbols are often designs conveying geometric portrayals of celestial bodies, natural phenomena and animal designs. Many American Indian tattoos were spiritual in nature and conveyed ideas about their religion and beliefs. Some American Indian tattoo designs were specific to individual families and passed down from one generation to another.
Many American Indian tribes used tribal tattoos and, just like the mysterious symbols they used, the designs of the tattoos would convey secret messages to other tribe members identifying specific clan members. In Pawnee mythology the Creator god, Tirawa, was believed to have taught the Pawnee people the art of tattooing.Īmerican Indian Tattoos - Tribal Tattoos and Symbols The painting is by Karl Bodmer (1809-1893) and it clearly depicts tattoos on the chest, right arm and hand of the Native Indian together with additional tattoos on his neck and face.
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