Before all the belly dance-goth fusion craze term tribal goth was used to describe goths who incorporated tribal or ethnic vibe into their look.

It was more common amongst male goth population due to its dystopian quality and rugged, “rough around the edges” look, wooden or bone jewelry and extensive tattoos and body mods. At that time a lot of people called it voodoo goth.

For men and women hair is long, messy, braided or dreaded, mostly in natural colors or henna-dyed and heavily decorated with leather ribbons, metal and wooden beads and headdresses or horns are not unusual. Makeup is often tribal facepaint or voodoo looking corpsepaint.

Clothing is post-apocalyptic, tattered clothing covered in faux furs, wooden or bone decorations, Victorian clothes that are modified to look disheveled, ruffled cargo pants, gypsy skirts, heavy boots or sandals. Also ethnic clothing of Nordic, Slavic, Native American or Hindu people incorporated into a goth look.

Oldschool tribal goth is more badass than today’s belly dance, hippie goth fashion and we should bring it back.

Photo source for most photos: psychara.deviantart.com