In today’s generation tattoos make great style statements for many. But when we go down the history we can find tattoos being used long ago. Excavations have proved that tattoos were worn by people in many places. And while discussing about tattoos, one must mention African tattoos, which also dates back before Christ in the Egyptian civilization. Many Egyptian mummies which were discovered in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were from 2000BC. One of the most intriguing facts about the Egyptian tattoos is that all the female mummies bore tattoos rather than their male counterpart. They were believed to be the symbol for fertility for these females. However, mummies found in other parts of Africa had tattoos on their body.
Tattoo is quite common within the African tribal groups. It is needless to say that tattoos, even today are an integral part of the African tribal civilizations. The dark skinned people of Africa wore tattoos so that their original color of skin would not show. But in the modern times the art of creating fascinating African tattoos took many steps ahead. The tattoos are created by puncturing the skin severely to make wounds. Then these wounds are rubbed with ashes to heal it up. These wounds, when healed will give a permanent embossed effect of the tattoo. This form of tattooing became quite popular in the United States of America. The process of having an embossed tattoo on the skin is called cicatrisation.
The fascinating African tattoos of the tribal people do not only serve the purpose of ornamentation, but it had symbolic importance too. The various symbols of the tattoos guard these tribal people from every kind of harmful spirits. Some of the symbols and characters of these tattoos wore by the tribal Africans showed their courage and bravery which were immensely required while undergoing this painful process of tattooing.
Nowadays tattooing is widely seen on the tribal people of Africa. These tribes also use symbols which are unique to their group. This enables them to recognize people from other tribes. The fascinating African tattoos come in innumerable design and form. And it has already become quite trendy in other parts of the world too.