Art I

Research material – different cultures that tattoo themselves on the face

1. This is not a culture but yes a big community of gangsters spread over the North United States and the South of United States specifically in places like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
They tattoo themselves for a very particular reason that when anti- gang laws were being enforced in these places and members of the criminal gangs were caught- the gang leader forced them to tattoo themselves to put them through a painful experience.
They not necessarily tattoo themselves on the face but also in place like the chest or the back. Tattoos are made in this community so that one can be recognized.
I didn’t actually like the concept of torturing yourself by placing yourself under pain but yes I liked these tattoo for the sole reason of its designs. The designs are pretty interesting as they have a literal story telling concept.
(http: //www. lifeinthefastlane.ca/extreme-body-piercing-branding-sacrification/offbeat-news)






In primitive societies, body art, including tattoos, served as the basis of recognition systems. Tattoos--whether as religious symbols, talismans, indicators of status or simply adornments --worked as a marker for group affiliations, be they geographical, ethic, tribal or familial.
While the Taiwan government and aboriginal community are aware of the importance of preserving Taiwan's aboriginal cultures, little attention was paid to rapidly disappearing tattoo traditions. In recent years, however, the Atayal--the second largest aboriginal group on the island--has moved to preserve its well-known face tattoos.
According to the Council of Aboriginal Affairs, tattooing dates back to about 1,400 years ago. Six of the island's 10 tribes--including the Atayal, Saisiyat, Paiwan, Rukai, Puyuma and Tsou--used tattoos.
The Atayal and Saisiyat, however, were the only two to apply whorled designs on faces. While Saisiyat women were tattooed merely on the forehead, the Atayal applied tattoos on their cheeks and chins as well, exemplifying the most comprehensive application of tattoos of the island's aboriginal tribes.
In spite of the awareness of the value of this cultural heritage, preserving facial tattooing is especially challenging because it is a race against time.
"Since most of those with tattoos are very old, it is urgent to preserve their life histories as living records of tribal culture," said Tien Kuei-shih.
Tien is a middle-aged Atayal devoted to researching his group's tattoo traditions. "I have interviewed all the tattooed men, the youngest one being 83 years old and the oldest 103. When I finished my first study in 1993, there were still 82 old men with facial tattoos, but now there are only 34," he pointed out.
Tien has thrown himself headlong into the project of recording this fading culture with the hope that both Han and aboriginal people will stop placing stigmas on tattoos and start seeing the serpentine, inky messages in elaborate facial tattoos as aesthetic impulses and a way of handing down tribal heritage.
"Once some of my son's classmates made fun of him because of our tribal elders' tattoos. The children said they looked like gangsters. Without any knowledge of my own tribe, I couldn't explain the meanings of the Atayal tattoos. I was ashamed so I decided to do some research," recalled 50-year-old Tien.
There are numerous legends purporting to explain the origin of tattooing. The most widely believed is that permanently ingrained pigments provided Atayal ancestors with a way to identify and protect later generations.
The Atayal believed that after death, spirits have to cross a rainbow bridge. Only those with face tattoos can be received in heaven through the guidance of their ancestors. "For my people, tattoos also have the power to ward off evil," said Tien.
Traditionally, the Atayal inhabited Taiwan's mountainous regions at heights of 500 meters to 2,400 meters above sea level, eking out a living by hunting and weaving. In order to be tattooed and acquire the right to marry, men had to prove their skills in hunting and battle, while women were expected to show excellence in weaving.
In addition, men, if successful in headhunting, were able to wear special tattoos on their chests, feet and foreheads. Tattoos thus represented honor and glory to tribal people.
For women, the whorled design symbolized chastity and duty. Girls got their first tattoo at five years of age, the second at 15 as a symbol of adulthood. In addition to appreciating one's weaving skills, tattooing was a means to test purity. It is said that promiscuous girls would die during the process.
Upon reaching adulthood, women were tattooed in winter or fall. Tattoo masters used jute threads to draw patterns, piercing faces with iron needles and applying ashes on wounds.
"Even though only natural materials were used, the process often caused infection. We thought our ancestors would cure chaste young girls," explained Tien.
When looking closer at the tattoos, it is easy to see that women's tattoos were more complex. They have a straight line on their foreheads and chins, with two U-shaped lines on their cheeks. Men, on the other hand, have just one straight line each on their foreheads and chins.
The more complex the patterns, the more responsibilities one had in society, said Tien. "The tattoo pattern for men is simpler, taking only about four hours to complete, while that for women takes 10 or more hours." Although the Atayal live in a patriarchal society, women's status was due to contributions to families, in particular, those decorated with dark whorled patterns on their faces were said to bring luck.
Due to a lack of understanding regarding the unique lifestyles of ethnic minorities, such as aborigines, some people regarded tattoos as a sign of savageness.
Those who had tattoos encountered severe discrimination after the Han people immigrated to Taiwan.
What is more, during the Japanese occupation (1895-1945), the colonial government considered skin ornamentation as violent and evil, causing a major decline in the body art. The tradition was banned until 1913. "The older generation is the last with face tattoos," said Tien.
A significant but little known aspect of tribal lifestyles is the manifestation of various art forms such as textiles with symbolic patterns, meaningful wall-decorations, woodcarvings or ritual dances.
Tattoos belong to the whole network of codes woven together in the fabric of tribal cultures. Yet, preservation of body decoration has been the most difficult.
"As people age, wrinkles gradually cover their faces. Numbers--who can be viewed as the best source of oral narrative about Taiwanese history--have shrunk greatly," said Tien with a sigh.
"Even though tattoos have supernatural meanings for wearers, they can not help the older generation defend itself against time. I hope the government will put more effort into saving this dying culture," he said.
Tien has opened an Atayal facial tattoo culture studio in Hualien County, home to most Atayal. He is recording the withering culture, preserving it through photographs.
"Even though they might not actually get face tattoos as their ancestors did, I hope modern Atayal understand the old ways and value the things tattoos symbolized: glory, honor and virtue."








There are many theories about the origin of face tattoo, which is now still a matter of debate because of different perspectives. Now, we would like to introduce the major theories:



Young lady in tattoo Young lady in tattoo
★A long long time ago, the ancestors of the Truku tribe thought that they had to worship the nameless gods with human head as sacrifice when misfortunes happened to them. Then, they could escape from the disaster. At one time, however, they went to war (coming out of grass) and tried to hunt enemies’ heads, they chopped the tribesman’s head by mistake. They thought if they tattooed their faces, they would not chop of their comrades’ heads by mistake.
★Long long time ago, according to the legend, a terrible thing happened. One day, many of the young women died without knowing what the reasons were. Such happening terrified the tribe’s people. But they could not find a way to save themselves. One night, a young girl saw their ancestor’s ghost in her dream. He told her, “If you want to escape from this disaster, you have to tattoo some patterns on your face.”
Early the next morning, the young girl told the tribe what she saw in her dream. Then, a smart man used burned charcoal to draw some patterns on the girl’s dress. And told all the women in the tribe to tattoo the same pattern and painted it black on their faces with thin needles. After the Truku women tattooed their faces, they would not die of unknown reasons. Then, tattooing the face had become a custom and was inherited by their descendants.TOP

Significance of Face Tattoo


Women’s tattoo Men’s tattoo
1. Symbol of Adulthood: The Truku would tattoo their foreheads when they were 5 to 10. Then, the male would tattoo their faces when they were 16 to 20; and the female 14 to 18 to symbolize their adulthood. In the tribe, men would not get married a woman without any face tattoo. And no woman would want to marry a man without any face tattoo as well. After tattooing their faces, they could participate in all the open activities. For the people without face tattoo, they would not be welcomed.
2. Expression of beauty: Tattooing pretty patterns on their faces, the women could attract the men’s attentions.
3. Badge for identification: The people from the Tayal and Truku tribe had to tattoo on their faces. During the war, it could enhance their will to unite, in order to prevent killing their tribes’ people or to get protections.
4. Tribal Identification: The patterns of tattoo differ from a tribe to another. For example, the Truku women tattoo U shape pattern on their faces. Meanwhile, the Tayal women tattooed V shape ones. In addition, the Primaw women tattooed 5 stripes on their foreheads, and the Tayal and Truku women only tattoo only 1 stripe. Also the Dueda prefers to tattoo a wide stripe on their cheeks.TOP