I remember a friend of mine got one that supposedly (not really sure) meant, "to hunt sharks my moonlight." Again, not sure if thats correct, but thats what he told me.
well that depends on the Tribe, the tattoo and so on.
Some were thought to protect you from evil spirits.
Some were part of the 'coming of age' for one or both sexes.
Some were status symbols, indicating who was part of what clan or who was 'upper class'.
Some were just thought to make you look more appealing to the opposite sex.
Today the meaning varies from person to person. Like any tatoo.
The point of a tribal tattoo, i believe, is that each tattoo carries a singular significat idea. Each tattoo would have it's own meaning and relevence.
A similar tattoo for purely athstetic reasons is a "tribal syle tattoo"
As opposed to a "tribal tattoo" given by acetion through a tribe or through yourself.