Tribal tiger tattoos

Tribal tiger tattoos can be an excellent way to combine your appreciation of tribal work and the symbolism of this magnificent cat. With so many kinds of types of cats and so many different styles of tribal work the possibilities are nearly endless.

Tiger tattoo designs

In Asia tattoos hold significance other than for appearances. Tattoos are said to be the link between the physical and spiritual bodies of a human being. Most people believe tattoos are an outward manifestation of the inner being; therefore the tiger is representative of a forceful nature equal only to the dragon. There are 5 tigers that rule the cosmic forces in Chinese lore.

Tiger tattoo

* The RED tiger is the symbol of the south, of summer and fire.

* The BLACK tiger is the symbol of the north, of winter and water.

* The BLUE tiger is the symbol of the east, of spring and vegetation.

* The WHITE tiger is the symbol of the west, of fall and all metals.

* The YELLOW tiger, the greatest of the 5 is the ruler of the Earth and everything on it.

  
There are also 5 different sub-species.

* BENGAL

* SUMATRAN

* SIBERIAN

* INDOCHINESE

* SOUTH CHINA

These could easily be incorporated into a very distinct, one of a kind tattoo steeped in symbolism.

One of the twelve signs of the Chinese Zodiac is the tiger. Those born in the year of the tiger are said to be colorful, unpredictable, powerful and passionate. The zodiac symbol done in tribal tattoo  style would make for an eye - catching conversation piece. This tattoo could practically be as small or large as you wish it to be as the zodiac symbol can be made smaller without losing too much picture quality.  

To create the tribal tiger tattoos one could begin by marrying traditional tribal work with traditional Japanese (In Asia, the tiger is the master of all big cats.), this would be a very colorful and detailed piece to show the best of both styles. The traditional Japanese work is done in vivid color and detail, while traditional tribal is single color; (typically dark, as the original tribal work was done with whatever suitable pigment could be found.) with varying degrees of detailed patterns.

These tattoos work very well with the cats natural black stripe pattern, making them re-creatable to an almost life-like degree. The amber/golden, almost molten color of the tiger-eye would be striking against an all black tribal piece. Putting a little extra effort and thought will give you a showpiece to enjoy and show off to others for a lifetime.