Maori tribes in New Zealand believed that a tattoo of a certain animal would allow some of that animal’s qualities seep into the wearer. That belief, if not articulated, is still certainly felt by people whether they have dolphin tattoos, tiger tattoos, or those ever-popular wolf tattoos. When someone creates a scorpion tattoo they are certainly identifying themselves with some aspect of the scorpion.

And that’s what makes these tattoos special. They can be pretty and highly decorative and just simply that. Or they can be symbolic in a way that allows the person wearing them to express a part of themselves.