Over the past decade, tribal tattoo designs have gained popularity among ordinary people and New Age practitioners. Some of these tattoos speak for themselves, showing off deities and symbols associated to ancestral magical practices, spiritual protection or inner enlightenment, representing the equilibrium of the masculine and feminine energy of the universe.

The role of women in ancient tribal cultures, contributed to the popularity of tribal tattoos designs, featuring feminine symbols, representations and energies not seen before, except when tribal art was originated. This approach to the feminine nature gained the acceptance of many modern women, who basically wear tribal tattoos as arm bands or low back designs.

Because tribal tattoo designs can mix the forces and elements of nature, they are a natural choice when it comes to people wanting to wear sun, moon, clouds, stars with no conventional design, although there are many other forms of tribal designs, including abstract art.

One of the most popular tribal tattoo designs is the sun, which is represented in as many forms as the existing tribes of the present and past worldwide. The peculiarity of these designs is that anyone can identify a tribal sun tattoo, but very few can determine which tribe it belongs with if one exists, because many tribal tattoo designs have no background, being the result of modern art.

Another interesting characteristic of tattooing tribal designs is the application of tattoos portraying ancient representations; tribal vestiges found in caves, designs discovered on protective totems, or many other forms currently housed in galleries and museums, drawn with skill and accuracy by modern artists.

Some tribal tattoo designs resemble Gothic, Wiccan or pagan symbols with intricate lines, particularly popular in the 2000s, evolving everyday until the present when present and past of the tribes have been fashioned to design unique tribal art not available before. In fact, many tribal tattoo designs are the result of retouched and modified ancient designs.

Because tribal patterns are more often composed by lines and geometrical forms, only an expert on the subject can differentiate the real ancient tribal tattoo designs, from the new self contained art. Abstract patterns to resemble the original tribal designs, are often most used by the master of contemporary tattooing

Beyond all the expectations and meaning of tribal tattoo deigns, sociologists consider that if tribal tattoos have remained focused for thousand of years, it is because they have the power to motivate people on a subconscious level, in the belief of getting a particular benefit wearing a certain figure or symbol.