Eagle tattoos

A brief history of the bald eagle

The American Bald Eagle is one of our nations most recognized symbols, adopted as the National Emblem of the United States Of America on June 20, 1782, it was chosen to be placed on The Great Seal of the United States, and has decorated most of our coins, currency and stamps. The Bald Eagle is a majestic and powerful

bird that can easily be seen as one soars effortlessly in the sky above. It is a north american native, that once populated nearly everyone of our lower 48 states. As our country began to be settled and westward expansion begun, eagles and humans began competing for the same food sources. This led to the early decline of the bald eagle population. Along with our westward migration came the destruction of the bald eagles natural habitat which also accounted for its sharp decline in numbers. It wasn't till the 1930's, nearly 150 years later that the bird was considered to be in a dangerous threat of extinction. Public awareness of the decline of our great bird continued for the next 40 years and finally on July 4, 1976, the US Fish and Wildlife Service officially listed the bald eagle as a national endangered species. The american bald eagle is one of only a few species of animals that have fought their way back from the brink of extinction, the others being the california grey whale and the american alligator. With the strength, courage and freedom being traits of this magnificent bird it is easy to see why on June 28, 2007 the Interior Department took the American bald eagle off the endangered species list.

The eagle as a tattoo

The American Bald Eagle also found itself as one of the great and popular tattoo images, hanging on the walls of most tattoo studios for over 100 years. The eagle being a symbol of freedom, strength, patriotism and courage, is no doubt why t

he eagle is the chosen tattoo of many of our military servicemen from World War 1 to our modern military of today. Some of the early eagle tattoos showed an eagle with a red, white and blue shield, or an eagle holding a flag pole and American flag. These early examples of eagle tattoos were definitely designed for our American service men who were some of the first to proudly display their honor and loyalty by choosing the American Bald Eagle as their tattoo. It is found mostly on men as a male dominated image but has also been etched on many female patrons as well. Another tribute to the Bald Eagle as a tattoo was its use as a cover-up for other poorly done or unwanted tattoos. Early tattoo artist would place a back view of an eagle over the old tattoo and with the use of the black ink cover the the previous tattoo. The eagle can be seen in many forms as a tattoo design, from tribal style eagles, portraits of eagles to simple cartoon styles of eagles. The eagle has been widely illustrated by many of the countries top tattoo artist, you can find the bald eagle in works from percy waters, paul rogers, sailor jerry, ed hardy, mike malone, j.d crowe and jack rudy just to name a few.

Native American Indians and the eagle

The Eagle and the Eagles feathers have long been part of Native American culture and are regarded as one of the highest and most significant symbols In Native American Traditions, Religions and Culture. To the Indian N

ations the Bald Eagle represents freedom, strength, courage, power, wisdom, truth and honesty. The Eagle is considered the Master of the Sky, he flies higher and sees better than all beneath him, a majestic sight, the eagle is believed to have a true connection to Creator. The Eagle is a messenger to the Creator and is giving the honors of carrying the prayers of the Native American people between Earth and Spirit Worlds.

The Golden and Bald Eagles are very sacred and held in the highest regards, and play an important role in the religious lives of American Indians, to be awarded an Eagles feather is one of the most revered honors one could receive. Indian Chiefs, Warriors and Braves are usually awarded Eagle feathers, and the Creator is honored, take immediate notice, and bestow the ultimate gift respect, gratitude and love upon the holder of a feather or feathers.

The Bald and Gold Eagle Protection Act of 1940 prohibits anyone including Native Americans from collecting dead eagles they may come across. The Federal process for Native Americans to collect some of these eagle parts, that are so intertwined in their religious believes and ceremonies, is a slow one. American Indians can wait for years for eagle parts, such as wing feather, the fan of tail feathers, talons, or even a full bird. (a full bird can take up to four years) There are approximately 6000 American Indians on a waiting list, about 2500 of those permits are satisfied each year. The government needs to find a way to streamline this process and end this ridiculous wait.

American Eagle Tattoos

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