HomeTribal shoulder tattooare probably the oldest type of tattooing. The custom began during the Neolithic Age in Eurasia. The oldest human remains so far discovered is that of Otzi the Iceman who must have lived around 3,300 BC in the alpine region of what is today the boundary between Austria and Italy. Careful scrutiny revealed up to 57 tattoos on Otzi, many mere dots and lines.
Otzi’s tatto¬o-riddled ancient corpse is not a unique case, in fact. Several others, particularly mummies, have been found with tattoos that date back to the second millennium BC. Mummies from the burial grounds at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau as well as the Mummy of Amunet from Ancient Egypt are some well-known discoveries. The Mummy of Amunet’s tattoos are believed to be related to the sacred religion surrounding Amunet. Otzi and the Pazyryk mummies demonstrate primeval tribal shoulder tattoos and markings.
Tattooing was practiced by tribal society for different reasons, but the common thread running through all was its use as a form of identification. As each tribe used distinctive tattoos that set it apart from the others, this also helped its members to identify other tribes.
The tattoos often also showed what someone’s role was in a tribe. A community would have a tribal chief, a shaman and warriors, for instance. Depending on tribal practices, tattoo styles varied a great deal for warriors and shamans. More elaborately designed tattoos were usually reserved for chieftains.
Moreover, these tattoos regularly depicted the significance of a person and in a number of cases told a story that exposed part of their life’s history or a crucial event that displayed their powers as a warrior or a chief. Tribal tattoos were customarily worn on the shoulder to be in plain sight for all.
The tribal shoulder tattoos weren’t used solely for recognition but to incite fear and threats in enemies as well. Early pre-Christian Celtic and Germanic tribes that inhabited northern and central Europe were described to be heavily tattooed.
Also famous for their scars and tattoos were the Picts, a fusion of tribes living in ancient Scotland. Intricate dark blue and copper etchings decorated their bodies, turning the skin blue. These tattoos and their blue prints were mentioned by Julius Caesar in the fifth book of his Gallic Wars series.
Present-day tribal shoulder tattoos have their roots in these ancient methods and reasons. While they may not have any deeper meaning to the wearer of today, their elaborate designs still make them very attractive. In vogue these days is Celtic knot work, a tribal shoulder tattoo design echoing the art, culture and might of the ancient Celtic tribes that once inhabited Western Europe before its conquest by the Roman Empire. Following the conquest, the Romans outlawed distinguishing tribal markings and tattoos that separate the tribes from the rest of the Empire.
