fbpx

17 Stunning Tribal Facial Tattoos From Around The World

17 Stunning Tribal Facial Tattoos From Around The World

6 of 11

Tattoos are known to date back to the pre-Christian calendar — even the Ice Age —proving they originated long before we began tattooing butterflies on our ankles and family names on our chests. In many tribes, it’s the norm to have one’s face covered in tattoos. Here are 17 stunning tribal facial tattoos from around the world, as documented by environmentalgraffiti.com.

thaiphong.wordpress.com
thaiphong.wordpress.com

 

Kayapo tribe, Brazil

The Kayapos live along the Xingu River or Rio Xingua in the Amazon Rainforest. In their rituals and practices, they put great emphasis on the relationship between people and the Earth. Their villages are made up of several huts, with a central one for the men to meet and discuss community issues.

GeorgeSteinMetz.com
GeorgeSteinMetz.com

 

Maori tribe, New Zealand

The Maori are the second largest ethnic group in New Zealand, after European New Zealanders. Modern day Maori people are Mormons, Catholics and Methodists. For their tattoos, they traditionally used a method called ta moko, in which the skin was carved instead of punctured. The tattoo marked the transition from childhood to adulthood and was worn on the face, buttocks and thighs for men and on the lips and chins for women.

telegraph.co.uk
telegraph.co.uk

Modern Maori

Eventually, needles replaced traditional chisels in Maori tattoos. In fact, men receive moko less and less — the traditional method in which the skin is carved instead of punctured — but it is still prevalent among women.

s1.zetaboards.com
s1.zetaboards.com

Fulani tribe, Africa (multiple countries)

The Fulani tribe is the largest migratory ethnic group on the planet. More than 30 million Fulani people live in Africa, all practicing the behavior code called the Pulaaku. The code is made up of several components that help distinguish someone as part of a particular tribe.

flickr.com
flickr.com

Fulani female

Fulani women have faint tattoos around their mouths. These tattoos can mark a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood, and in some cases can be a sexual lure, a sign of fertility or a sign of beauty. At puberty, Fulani girls tattoo the bottom part of their lip as a sign of beauty. Once they’re married, the upper part is tattooed to show they’re taken.

farandawayphotographicarts.com
farandawayphotographicarts.com

 

Atayal tribe, Taiwan

In the Atayal tribe — one of Taiwain’s most indigenous tribes — facial tattoos are a sign of maturity. The tattoo gradually grows in size as the person gets older.

coolephotography.co.uk
coolephotography.co.uk

 

Kutia Kondh, India

The Kondhs live in the states of Orissa, Srikakulam and Andra Pradesh. They’re most famously known for their human sacrifices in the 19th centuries, as well as their unique facial tattoos.

environmentalgraffiti.com
environmentalgraffiti.com

 

Chindok tribe, Myanmar

There are several tribes in the Chin Hills of Northwestern Myanmar, and has unique tattoos. The females usually have their faces tattooed at a very young age.

environmentalgraffiti.com
environmentalgraffiti.com

 

Ukit tribe, Bomeo

The Ukit tribe is very small, with approximately 120 people today. They live in the rain forests near Sarawak, and wear intricate tattoos on their chests, shoulders and faces.

vivaedmund.blogspot.com
vivaedmund.blogspot.com

Mentawai tribe, Indonesia

The Mentawai have some of the most distinct tattoos of all the Indonesian tribes. Most members have their entire bodies tattooed and for the men, the tattoos tell the stories of their lives.

Wikipedia
Wikipedia

Embera girl, Panama

The Embera people are the indigenous people of Panama or Columbia. This young Embera girl from Panama is wearing Jagua tattoo. Jagua tattooing is not permanent and is actually a form of skin decoration, also sometimes used for medical purposes. The art uses extract from the fruit Genipa Americana. The fruit is very similar to a guava.

 

Wikimedia
Wikimedia

Chin State Village, China

The Chin are believed to have been in China since 9 or 10 century AD. The tradition of face tattoos began when the Chin would tattoo the faces of their young female members, so that other tribes would be less tempted to steal them and put them into slavery.

 

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

Nuer woman, South Sudan

The Nuer people live in the Nile valley in South Sudan and receive facial markings when they come into adulthood. They aren’t technically tattoos, but certainly as painful (if not more) and permanent.

 

 

Wikimedia.org
Wikimedia.org

Apatani woman, India

The Apatani group are a tribal group who live in the Ziro valley in India who believe every object on the planet holds divine powers. The tribe has been doing facial tattooing, and nose plugging, since the beginning of their existence and it’s difficult to track down the original purpose of this. Apatani men tattoo the middle of their chins with the letter “T” and Apatani women tattoo a line down the middle of their foreheads to the tips of their noses.

Source: Odditycentral.com 

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

Young Maori dancer

As mentioned before, Maori men are receiving facial tattoos less and less. Here you can see a young Maori member with only half his face tattooed, performing “kapa haka’’—a type of performing arts meant to express ones heritage and culture.

Source: NewZealand.com

Wikimedia.org
Wikimedia.org

 

Datoga woman, Tanzania

The Datoga tribe lives near Lake Eyasi and are said to have their origins in Southern Sudan and Ethiopia. They’re known for their distinctive facial tattoos, which sometimes extend to circles around their eyes.

Source: Zingaafricansafaris.com

 

Girl of Chin Hills

 

Chin Hills girl, Burma

This is a girl from the Chinbok tribe, in which children have their faces tattooed from a very early age. This particular tattoo, which represents a tiger, is very common for that tribe.

Source: Flickr.com