Like the yakuza

Like the yakuza who marked their body with tattoos, many
tribes too has tattoos which act as a tribal identification.

In these tribes, tattoos are perceived to be a symbolism which marks a person's passage into adulthood. In some tribes, girls are expected to undergo tattooing because if a girl cannot endure the pain brought by tattooing, she is considered weak and cannot bear the pain of labour during child birth, thus, making her unmarriageable. On the other hand, if the boy cannot take the pain of tattooing, he would be considered a coward. He may then be segregated from the rest of the tribesman and will never be considered a warrior.

However, in modern days, tattoos are considered as a form of art. The tattoo may symbolise many different meanings. Some may represent as a memory of a love one, others just marks as an individual's love of art or even to distinguish himself/herself among others.

Although there are still societies who do not accept that tattoos are another form of expressing oneself, many societies have come to the fact that tattoos are no longer associated to being a part of a gang.