Tribal dotted sparrow tattoo on back of girl’s neck

Sparrow tattoos are usually pretty cut and dry, but this girl’s tribal tattoo of a swallow on the back of her neck is pretty darn cool. Inked in black and white, the bird tattoo was designed in such a way that it resembles the tribal tattoos commonly found on the arms and legs of warriors in ancient civilizations, used as a symbol of strength or status. Swallow tattoos themselves are pretty “old school,” originally worn by sailors as a means of showing off their expertise. For example, swallow tattoos were traditionally inked on sailor’s chests for every 5,000 nautical miles they sailed. Along that same vein, a tattoo of a swallow also came to represent returning home, as the sailors would get the ink after returning from a long journey at sea. This girl’s tattoo of a swallow is inked using tiny dots and depicts a black and white bird with a sun in the center.