As you know from our article, Tribal Tattoos, tribal tattoo designs incorporate many different styles. There's no such thing as a "pure" tribal design, because that will mean something different, depending on who you are talking to.

For someone from the South Pacific, it could mean the biographical tattoo they have on their shoulder. While it might not mean anything to us, it's a right of passage and a language to them. (Source: Tahiti Tattoo)

For Native Americans a tribal tattoo could honor their relatives or stake a claim on their heritage. (Source: Native Languages.org - Research your heritage and tattoo )

For many Americans, tribals have no meaning. It's just an abstract design, which may or may not incorporate any other tattoo design, such as flowers, portraiture, or lettering.