Tattoos are by no means a modern construct by which the dispossessed or artistic decorate themselves. The military themed tattoos of today’s contemporary combatants have a lineage that reach back not only to western antiquity, but that of the Pacific Islands as well.

The Pacific Islanders and Native Americans

For New Zealand Maori chiefs and warriors, the facial tattoos they bore spoke of their combat history, and of the warriors they had defeated in battle. The patterns of the facial tattoos of New Zealand men could be found repeated again on the body, a repetition which helped to identify the man should he be killed in a battle, and his head collected as a trophy. Amongst the indigenous tribes in the Yucatan, tattoos also played a significant cultural role. Men who proved themselves brave bore tattoos, and as they continued to display bravery and prowess in battle, their tattoos would expand as well.

Among the tribes of the lower Mississippi region in North America, men tattooed certain symbols upon themselves following the death of an enemy who had proved particularly difficult to kill. In some of the tribes men could only wear tattoos after having killed an enemy, and returned with the physical proof of a scalp to their own tribes.

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