Kokopelli Tattoo Design

If you are interested in getting a Kokopelli tattoo, make sure to select a tattoo artist who makes safety and hygiene a top priority, so you don’t risk infection.

Tattoos are created by using an electric powered tattoo gun that has a needle going up and down very fast. The ink is injected under the skin every time the needle punctures your skin.  The tube system, needle, electric motor, and the foot pedal are the major components of a tattoo machine. The needle should be sterile in order to prevent infection of the skin.

To control the work of the tube and the needle a foot pedal is used by the tattoo artist. So, if the pedal is pressed the needle moves up and down and punctures the skin. This is somewhat similar to the way a sewing machine with a foot pedal operates.

Sanitary conditions are essential! Using the same needle on two people must be strictly avoided. This can cause the spread of infections and diseases such as HIV. For this reason you are advised to go to a tattoo artist only if you are sure that the equipment is sterile and materials are disposable and won’t be reused.

Make sure the tattoo artist opens up the material in front of you and double check it before it is used on you.  It is all is sold to them in sterile packaging and it is stated on the packaging that it is for single use only. The materials that should be used only once are: needles, gloves, ink and ink cups.  Also, the hands of the tattoo artists should be washed before touching you or the equipment.

Next, the skin area where the tattoo will be applied must be disinfected. After that, the skin is shaved and then disinfected a second time.

The pain of getting a tattoo depends upon your tolerance and the location of the tattoo.   A tattoo on a sensitive part of the body can be quite painful. Also, the pain depends upon the experience of the artist. If he is more experienced this can mean that you might not feel as much.

After the tattoo is applied, the area should be disinfected again in order to avoid an infection in the punctures. Also you should be given instructions from the artist on how to care for the tattoo. The instructions will likely be printed out so you can take it home and follow the instructions without forgetting.

Find the perfect Kokopelli tattoo designs at Chopper Tattoo, TattooMeNow, and Tattoo My Brain.

A strange lonely figure stares out of the past
where engraved by an artist in stone
Held firm by the sand in which he is cast,
these last thousand years quite alone.
Could he be listening, trying to hear
moccasins scuffing the butte?
Bringing the people once again near
to hear Kokopelli’s sweet flute?

His image inscribed on a thousand rock faces
from east to the great western sea;
From Sonora’s hot sun to the north glaciers bases,
proclaiming this loved tutelary.
Though powers possessed and methods employed
are often in open dispute;
One thing is agreed, the people did love
to hear Kokopelli’s sweet flute.

This stick figure man, with a hump on his back
seemed always to cast a good feeling;
His magic perhaps, taken out of his pack
would comfort the sick and do healing.
Whatever his talents, they surely were grand,
a fact no one cares to refute,
As people would come from afar in the land,
to hear Kokopelli’s sweet flute.

Source: http://www.indigenouspeople.net/kokopelli.htm

Kokopelli comes alive tattoo by ~surreal32 on deviantART
Artist’s Comments: I had to do a traditional Kokopelli tattoo design, then I got the idea for this one.

Many Southwestern Native American cultures have some variety of the Kokopelli deity, and Hopi natives often depict this deity in Kachina dolls. The Kokopelli spirit is thought to have control over fertility, both human and agricultural. Although the modern icon has been altered and commercialized, for the most part, throughout its history it has included a phallus as a symbol of its powerful fertility. To a lesser extent, the Kokopelli symbol has sometimes been associated with trickery and music. Although the exact depiction of the Kokopelli differs from group to group, the common belief is that this deity was transferred down from the Anasazi Indians.

The power of the Kokopelli is thought to be immense by believers; so much so that shy young women would avoid the symbol for the implications of ensuing childbirth. Many Pueblos depicted the Kokopelli as visiting villages and depositing newborns. In this way, the Kokopelli very much resembles our Western idea of the Stork! Kokopelli symbols were often found surrounding wedding ceremonies, as well-wishers blessed the new couple and prayed for fertility. More explicit Kokopelli depictions involved a removable, exaggerated phallus that implied enormous virility; both in human reproduction and agricultural abundance. Many cultures would call to this deity to bring successful corn and grain harvests, as well as livestock reproduction. In fact, the Kokopelli is believed to chase away winter and bring in spring.

The humpbacked flute player that is commonly recognized as a symbol of Southwestern cultures comes from the less widespread characteristic of Kokopelli as a musician. Some native groups believed that the deity wandered between villages with songs on his back, spreading seeds along with music. Modern uses of the Kokopelli vary, but most often stand as an icon that represents Southwestern Indian culture. The symbol makes a unique design for a tattoo, but where can you find one? The 3 largest, most original websites to browse for the perfect Kokopelli tattoo designs are Chopper Tattoo, TattooMeNow, and Tattoo My Brain.