Photo by © David Ellenbogen
The process of tattooing in Samoa is called tatatau with ta which means to strike and tatau referring to the line and motifs that are inked onto the body. One very distinctive form of tatau is called pe’a which is characterized by areas of dense shading and fine parallel line-work distributed with a wide range of motifs and geometric patterns. Young Samoan men are usually tattooed in the traditional Samoan style markings that extend from the waist down to the knee. The name given to the tattoo worn by Samoan women is malu. It is inked starting on the knees and ending at the top of the thighs while some women are tattooed at the lower abdomen and right hand. The malu is less elaborate and has fewer paterns compare to pe’a. In Samoan tattooing, malu or women’s tattoos refer to the notions of sheltering and protection. Samoan tribal tattoos were very significant and conveyed deep cultural meanings.

Nowadays, Samoan tattoos are considered an ethnic marker, a statement of Samaoan heritage and identity. The deep historical meaning and rich culture of Samoan communities will forever be remembered through these fine elaborate Samoan tattoo patterns and designs that are unrivaled and representative of them.

Maori Tattoos originated from the Maoris of New Zealand and were considered sophisticated, decorative and rank symbolizing.

The women were usually tattooed on the lip and chin area while the men carried them on their face, legs and buttocks. Maori tattoos consist primarily of whorls, geometic patterns, bold spiral designs and other intricate styles. It was said that tattoo designs of the Maoris were very unique to each individual that they were even used by members of the high society as signatures on legal documents.

Traditional Maori tattoos are called Moko which were inscribed or chiseled on the skin using a serrated bone or shell and the inked used was pigment from the oily smoke of burning nut kernels. This makes moko process very painful since the skin was just not punctured but chiseled at least one-eight of an inch into the skin. During the early days, when a member of the Maori tribe underwent this process, he had to go through an extensive ritual complete with chant and music. He had to go through fasting as he was forbidden to touch food or items used for food preparation during the course of the process. His social contacts was limited and this usually lasted for several days.

Tattoos are regarded as very sacred and significant to the Maoris. During those times, Maoris who were killed in a battle had their tattooed heads (called “paki paki”) preserved and proudly displayed by the warriors while the non tattooed ones were rudely ignored and discarded.

Suggested designs for Libra Tattoos. See our Tattoo Gallery link for more…

Libras have a tactful and diplomatic personality. They have the ability to create a harmonious atmosphere and possesses excellent powers of negotiation and mediation. They have great communication and prefer job and lifestyle that involves interacting with people and traveling to places.

As a Libra, here are more symbols that represent your sign that you can use for your tattoo.
Your symbol is the scale which is the commonly used design to represent a Libra tattoo sign.
Your glyph is two parallel horizontal lines. The top line has a half-circle coming off the top, resembling a sunset on the horizon.
Your ruling planet is Venus, the goddess of love and romance.
Your element is air which represents your being quick-minded.
Your colors are skyblue, leaf green and pink.
Your herbs are mint and aloe.
Your trees are cypress.
Your flowers are roses.
Your animals are rabbit, small deer and pelican.
Your gems are sapphire, emerald and jade.

Libras have excellent taste and love for aesthetics.  You have a flair for sophisticated and pretty things so going for your flower for tattoo design which happens to be rose would be a good decision. However, with rose tattoos being very common, you can always come up with something to make it more unique and attractive. You can perhaps have it inked according to your sign colors which are skyblue, leaf green or pink perhaps - yes, a pink rose tattoos would definitely be fitting to your personality. Or you can always just use the glyph of Libra and just have it tattooed at the back of your ear, on your wrist maybe, or on your foot if you choose to go for smaller tattoo designs. If you decide to go the traditional way, you can always use the scale which is your Libra symbol and have it in different styles such as Tribal, Goth or Cartoon. You are a natural character for coming up with great ideas so designing your own Libra zodiac tattoo should not be a difficult task.

Suggested designs for Virgo Tattoos.  See our Tattoo Gallery link.
		Buttercup is one of Virgo’s flowers, more ideas from our tattoo gallery.

Virgos are practical, hardworking and diligent people. They tend to be workaholic and failure is not tolerated so they are very critical. They are thorough, capable and have a creative side to them. Virgos like making lists, neatness, arts and crafts.

Your symbol is the Virgin.
Your element is earth which represents you as being a hardworker.
Your ruling planet is Mercury who was the god of travelers, healing and magic.
Your gems are diamond, chrysolite and sardonyx.
Your flowers are lily, narcissus and buttercup.
Your trees are nut trees especially hazel.
Your best day is Wednesday which is associated with the Roman god Mercury and worst day is Thursday.
Your colors are navy blue, brown and green.
Your herbs are parsley and dill.
Your aromatherapy essence is orange.

As a Virgo, you love gardens and anything that have symbolical meaning attached to them. So a flower tattoo would be a good idea, narcissus and buttercup are some of your birthflowers. Your symbol is the Virgin but you sure won’t want to use this symbol so go for the glyph for Virgo, the small hand sign that astrologer’s used. You can always have the word “Virgo” written in script alongside with your birth date while incorporating your colors - green, brown or navy blue. If you are going for small Virgo tattoo, the good placements are wrist, foot, back of ears and ankle. When going for bigger designs, consider your arm, shoulder blade, lower stomach and rib, perhaps. Virgos are excellent crafts people and are creative so coming up with your own Virgo tattoo design would not be a daunting task.

Suggested designs for Leo Zodiac Tattoos
More from our Tattoo Gallery

Tattoo Designs and Ideas for Cancer Zodiac Tattoos

Leos have fixed nature so it takes a while for them to find the right partner, the right job or the right place to live. But once they find something, they stick to their decision. They do their job quickly and effectively; they grasp opportunities when offered and have the initiative, courage and intelligence.

Your symbol is the lion.
Your element is fire which represents you as being initiators.
Your ruling planet is the Sun who is associated with the Roman god Apollo who was the god of music, poetry, reason and light.
Your gems are diamond, ruby and tiger’s eye.
Your flowers are sunflower and marigold.
Your trees are ash and palm.
Your best day is Sunday which is the Sun’s day and worst day is Saturday.
Your colors are gold, yellow and all creamy shades and orange
Your herbs are chamomille, saffron and rosemary.
Your aromatherapy essence is garlic.

From the information mentioned above, you can come out with your own Leo tattoo designs. You can choose to have the lion symbol which is very common. Or if you are a girl, you can go for flower tattoos  which in the case of your birthsign would be sunflowers or marigold.   If you are not thrilled about using the lion symbol, you can use sun tattoos instead since that is your ruling planet and have your birthdate inked alongside it. Placement for Leo tattoo can just be any part of your body depending on the size or design, most popular ones are foot, arm, ankle, wrist, back and shoulder blade. The possibilities are endless for creating your own Leo zodiac tattoos, it is all up to your creativity and imagination.

Sample designs for Cancer tattoos. More from our Tattoo Gallery.

There are 12 signs of zodiac and each one has its own meaning; people who fall under the same sign of the zodiac generally share common traits, weakness and strengths. If you are Cancer and you want a design that reflects your astrological symbol, here are some ideas.

As a Cancer, your element is water which is the element of emotion so you are on the sensitive side. You often tend to base your decision on emotions rather than logic and often do it at the spur of the moment. However, you take responsibility easily and you care for others who are weaker than yourself. You are a good listener, kind-hearted and a sympathetic friend. Your the type of person that your family and friends can always rely to.

Ideas and designs for Cancer tattoos

Your symbol is the crab.
Your element is water which represents emotion and sensitivity.
Your ruling planet is the Moon which represents the feminine principle and is connected to the idea of travel and sea.
Your gem is pearl or the mother of pearl.
Your flower is water lily or lotus which is one of the most popular tattoo floral designs.
Your trees are willow and mangrove.
Your best day is Monday which is traditionally moon’s day and worst day is Wednesday.
Your colors are white, silver and all pearly or oyster shades..
Your herbs are rosemary and comfrey.
Your aromatherapy essence is coriander..

From the information mentioned above, you can come out with your own Cancer tattoo designs. You can choose to have the crab symbol which is very common. Or if you are a girl, lotus flower which is a very symbolical flower would be pretty. It represents rebirth, good fortune, peace and enlightenment. If you are not thrilled about using the crab symbol, you can use moon tattoos instead since that is your ruling planet and have your birthdate inked alongside it. Placement for Cancer tattoos can just be any part of your body depending on the size or design, most popular ones are foot, arm, ankle, wrist, back and shoulder blade. The possibilities are endless for creating your own Cancer zodiac sign tattoos, it is all up to your creativity and imagination.

Words in tattoos can convey message, express interest or desire, give out ideas or solace and even comfort. These words or phrases can inspire or motivate a person in every endeavor he undertakes or serve as daily reminders of his ideals in life.

Photo by Dylan

Here are some examples of motivational and inspirational quotations that you can use in your tattoos.

“The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed. ”
Richard B. Sheridan

“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.”
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“So long as there is breath in me, that long I will persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles on success; if I persist long enough I will win.”
Og Mandino

“Never go backward. Attempt, and do it with all your might. Determination is power.”
Charles Simmons

“All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Walt Disney

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.”
William Arthur Ward

“Be great in act, as you have been in thought.”
William Shakespeare

“Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none.”
William Shakespeare

“It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.”
Confucious

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
Confucious

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Confucious

This type of body art has become quite popular nowadays since they can be great deviation from the standard tattoo theme that we see everyday. A tattooist who will be executing this style must be artistic and skillful enough to come up with an excellent lettering and script that will flow naturally with the shape of the body part where it will be tattooed.

Done by Peter -Temple Tattoo, Portland

Where to get cherry blossom tree tattoos?
There are a lot of resources available online to find that perfect design for cherry blossom tree tattoos. It looks as if one can’t get enough of the cherry blossom flower tattoos that they need to have the whole tree inked on their body which can really be quite amazing and one of a kind.


Howver, if you really want to have a unique cherry blossom tree tattoo for yourself, the best approach is to discuss it with your favorite artist and ask him to sketch one for you. You can start by checking out photos of cherry blossom tree tattoos on other people and you can draw your ideas from there. Another option for you is to check out books and magazines in the library, they usually have photos of the actual tree which can serve as inspiration for the design.

Tattoo by Mez Love

Sample designs for aries tattoos. More from our Tattoo Gallery.

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac which the Sun transmits during the first month of Spring.  As an aries, you are naturally adventurous, ambitious, and enthusiastic. You are courageous leaders, lovers of freedom and always open to new ideas. You are an initiator and innovator and great at discovering things. Your best qualities are your energy, initiative and capacity for hardwork and love for life. Your bad characteristics are you can be impatient, selfish and aggresive. You can be self-centered sometimes and your attention span can be short. You may be a great starter but you are also a terrible finisher.

Ideas and designs for aries tattoos
Your symbol is the ram.
Your element is fire which represents your energy and enthusiasm.
Your ruling planet is Mars which is the Roman god of war.
Your gem is diamond.
Your flower is honeysuckle which symbolize generous affection.
Your trees are thorn and chestnut.
Your best day is Tuesday and worst day is Friday.
Your color is the bright crimson red.
Your herbs are basil and witch hazel.
Your aromatherapy essence is peppermint.

From the information mentioned above, you can come out with your own aries tattoo designs. You can choose to have the ram head and blend it with tribal or Celtic touch. Or if you are a girl, honeysuckle flower would be a pretty tattoo . Or you can incorporate the color red to other symbols representing Aries to make it more interesting and maybe have your birthdate inked alongside it. Placement for aries tattoos can just be anypart of your body depending on the size or design, most popular ones are foot, arm, ankle, wrist, back and shoulder blade. The possibilities are endless for creating your own aries zodiac sign tattoos, it is all up to your creativity and imagination.