Tradional Tattoo?

[Josiah]

the tattoos you are referring to . . . i think they come from the east coast and parts of canada . . . i might be mistakened, not sure.

i dated a guy who has a few "traditional" tattoo's on both arms. he talked with his elders about getting a tattoo. they taugh him what each symbol meant, what i stood for, and what needed to be dome to get it. he didnt go into much detail, but he has five tattoo's now.

from im point of view . . . these tattoos have a meaning, they were bestowed on you and only you. if it offends someone, oh well . . . hey, they might be from another nation. not all tribes use or utilize tattoos. it could be a pendent, necklace, ring/earrings, something . . .

dont get a tattoo just to be a part of the crowd.

Traditional Tatoos are not the issue
especially those that are put on in a Traditional way
This was never the issue

What is at issue is this:
If I see a cool tattoo on somebody at a powwow should I get it because it looks Traditional to me? Nevermind that the tribe it belongs to is not known....

[Mud_Woman]

thanks for clearing that up.

well . . . now im speechless.

o-tay . . . be careful. remember, tattoo's are permanent.

[ProudNightWolf]

Well these tattoo's have called out to me and ive seen them on me in dreams so I am going to find the meaning at a powwow and prolly get them. They keep coming to me for SOME reason just dont know the reason yet. Thanks Mud.

[sokoki_wolf]

Well these tattoo's have called out to me and ive seen them on me in dreams so I am going to find the meaning at a powwow and prolly get them. They keep coming to me for SOME reason just dont know the reason yet. Thanks Mud.

pffftttttttt
all you want to do is to look cool and be hip and have people think your tradish.....whatever...you asked and didnt get the answer you wanted....shows clearly what youre all about....buh bye

[they_drag_him]

Well these tattoo's have called out to me and ive seen them on me in dreams so I am going to find the meaning at a powwow and prolly get them. They keep coming to me for SOME reason just dont know the reason yet. Thanks Mud.

proudnakedwolf,
do what you want. we'll laugh when you and tom netz come tumbling down the hill in your wannabee tattoos.

[timmy tiger]

I have to agree with many of the above posts.

Young man you came on here asking about a tatoo to represent that you are "Traditional", well as far as I know--there is no such thing. You stated about how you saw these certain tatoo's and you wanted one that represents how "Traditional" that you are. Well, you sure aren't acting that way if you can't handle some constructive criticism even if it does seem rough, that's the way that it goes more times then not.

I do not know the man that you are all speaking of, but I do know of him and it's not good. Standing up for someone that you like is one thing, but claiming that someone is something that they are NOT--is a totally different thing all together and will put you in the same category as they are. Choose your friends wisely--and very carefully and who you associate with even more carefully. There are way too many out there who go around a leach off of people that they see as being desperate. You are young and have lots of time to find your family and people. Don't rush in, it will not do you any good at all and may hurt you more then you will ever know.

Rumors are a dime a dozen and there are rumors out there about just about everyone at some time or another. But this is a very small community, for the most part, and the moccasin telegraph is a very powerful thing. So, if several people know about this man and what he is or isn't, there's a possibility that they might actually be right about him. Anyone who changes their Tribal affiliation as much as he has does tend to appear to have alot to hide. Well, that might just say something about that person as well. Step back: "Stop, look and listen" and you just might see or learn something that might just make a big difference in your life and outlook in life.

And again, a tatoo doesn't tell anyone anything about it, it's about how you feel about it.

[Kamama]

Well these tattoo's have called out to me and ive seen them on me in dreams so I am going to find the meaning at a powwow and prolly get them. They keep coming to me for SOME reason just dont know the reason yet. Thanks Mud.

So, why not speak to some elders about the meanings of these tattoos? Speak to elders from different Nations, etc. If they are familiar with them, you may get different input from each elder (tribe/nation varieties) Each nation/tribe/clan, etc may have a different meaning???? Speak to many. Who knows? Like everyone else has said, tattoos are permanant. I've been wanting one since I was in High School, and lets just say I graduated 14 years ago, and still havent gotten one. Think about it.
Its like someone told my boss at work, who wanted to get a tat of a crow on her back....they told her once she gets old, it'll look more like an old bat and not a crow.
Think about what you get, dont get it just because it'll make you look this way or that, or because you think itll make you fit it. It wont.
Everyone has offered good advice on this. I would say take a year or two to think hard on it, you just may change your mind.
Just my 2 pennies worth.

[Wakalapi]

I want it to show that I am here, I am embracing my culture, I see the ways of me ancestors, I know this next part will sound odd but I see and feel things when I am dancing that makes everything just go away. I loose myself in the beats and do movements I have never seen nor never done. I drift away and loose sight of spectatures and other dancers and feel the breeze when there is no breeze. I feel as if I don't dance but those who are gone or around who can no longer dance enter my spirit and use me to do the movements. So I want my tattoo to kinda show that I understand all this and that I am here to learn more as needed.

Ok, but... since you want to "show" people those things a tattoo will not do the trick. It's your lifestyle. It's living as you know your ancestors would have wanted you to live. Actions speak louder than words; they also show up better than designs and logos.

[they_drag_him]

Ok, but... since you want to "show" people those things a tattoo will not do the trick. It's your lifestyle. It's living as you know your ancestors would have wanted you to live. Actions speak louder than words; they also show up better than designs and logos.

easier said than done. some wasicu looking natives have to do double duty with double tattoos and double wives.

[New2itall]

I saw a photo of a friend of mine (totally white guy) and realized he has these tats on his arms. I e-mailed him and asked him how he came by them and here is what he said
"The gauntlets on my forearms were inspired by a traditional Iroquois design I saw in a book on tattoos. I only altered the design slightly and working with the tattoo artist, we decided to do one arm in the positive version that I had drawn up and one in the negative. It came out looking very effective, or at least so I think."
So, while you may think that something has some deep spiritual meaning, sometime folks are just doing it cause they like the design. And let me repeat, it WILL NOT make anyone more native. If you like it, do it, but don't think it is gonna get you some kind of rez cred.

[FluteMaker]

Loosely translated...sounds like this guy got a tattoo that says he's a ...

Pole Smoker!!!

Well, that's my interpretation.

thats about the size of it.

[FluteMaker]

Well these tattoo's have called out to me and ive seen them on me in dreams so I am going to find the meaning at a powwow and prolly get them. They keep coming to me for SOME reason just dont know the reason yet. Thanks Mud.

ok....on a serious note here....... ive worked with people to design thier own tats before. most times people dont want flash off the wall because they just dont want something bunches of other people are walking around with, they want something thats strictly them.

you mentioned that you feel this type of design is "calling" out to you. whats it saying? what does this idea mean for you?

[ProudNightWolf]

Thanks New2itall, Also thanks Wakalapi and Kamama, and to answer you FluteMaker, I cant but you have REALLY just help me realize something HUGE! MEGWETCH! WAHDOE! HOW EVER YOU WISH TO SAY IT THANK YOU! THATS WHAT I NEEDED (I know I sound crazy but THANKS)

[they_drag_him]

Thanks New2itall, Also thanks Wakalapi and Kamama, and to answer you FluteMaker, I cant but you have REALLY just help me realize something HUGE! MEGWETCH! WAHDOE! HOW EVER YOU WISH TO SAY IT THANK YOU! THATS WHAT I NEEDED (I know I sound crazy but THANKS)

Just make sure that you don't come parading yourself around my neck of the woods. Tattoo your pole or whatever hides your pink skin.

[ProudNightWolf]

MY TATTOO IS NOT WANNABE OR FAKE NOR IS IT TO HIDE MY PINK SKIN, IT HAS EVERY RIGHT OF MEANING NOW THAT I SAT AND THOUGHT HARD ON IT. ITS MEANING IS THIS: THE 7 BLACK POINTS ARE THE 7 BANDS OF CHEROKEE. THE 4 STRIPES ON TOP ARE THE 4 SACRED DIRECTIONS. THE Band at the bottom is the divided line between our world and the spirit world, the drips are the blood of the fallen. THATS NOT FAKE THANK YOU! <a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.tinypic.com/2pu0c9k.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>