![]() ![]() This led to the tattoos becoming a Borneo pop culture phenomenon especially towards younger demographics.The Unalome is a unique and beautiful symbol that has spiritual significance for many people around the world. Roughly 10 years ago there was a resurgence in interest and culture when swarms of journalists and researchers came and surveyed on the traditional Borneo tattoos. In the 1950s & 1960s largely due to Christian missionaries, most of Borneo converted to Christianity and hence most tattooists assimilated and there was a sharp decline in the amount of practicing traditional Borneo tattoo artists. The calves are tattooed with a fishing hook (mata ginti) or anchor (sauh). The elephant (gajah) design motive is tattooed on the man's ribs to protect his sides from ripping. A crab's shell is a hard armor, which protects its wearer. The tattoos on the back (Ketam Itit/Ketupong) represent the back of the crab, the tattoos on the arms (ketam lengan) represent the arms of the crab. a warrior who has taken many heads, or a great shaman, or a headman of a longhouse, or a great carver or artist, etc. It symbolizes an individual who is highly accomplished in a field of their life e.g. Males and females of high status would get the throat tattooed. Most tattoos are for protection, for example the tattoos on the throat (pantang rekong) are meant to give strength to the skin on the throat, to stop the bearer's enemies from being able to sever the bearer's head. You can only have this if you have taken heads. For example, there is a tattoo a man can have done on his hand called the Entegulun. Some represent big life events, such as fathering children etc. If the boy received his Ampallang piercing, the Bungai Terung would be tattooed in his groin region to let others know he had passed that rite of passage.īorneo tattoos do not just mark physical journeys. From each place the tattoos have different styles so the regional differences in his tattoos would tell the story of his journeys in life. A young male would go out on his own to find knowledge and from each place he went to he would get one tattoo to mark not only where he is from but also where he has been. Īll the tattoos, following the eggplant flower, are like a diary. The Bungai Terung has a spiral at the center of the eggplant flower the Tali Nyawa, which means the rope of life and is identical to the underside of a tadpole which symbolizes the beginning of a new life. The tattoo is located on the front of the shoulder (never the chest) to show where ones bag straps lie, to prepare the individual to carry the weight of their own world ( passage of a person into adulthood). The Bungai Terung is a tattoo which marks the Iban tradition known as Bejalai (a journey of knowledge and wisdom), where an individual would leave their longhouse to experience the world. The Bungai Terung, which translates to the eggplant Borneo flower, is the first tattoo an Iban individual would receive. The tattoo initiation ceremony is started by giving offerings to deities, thanking and requesting for more assistance and protection in subsequent activities. The ink will be mixed with various protective charms and motives. When a young man returns from a successful sojourn (bejalai), he can get a full body tattoo (kalingai or pantang) from a tattoo master who will design the overall design using outline first followed by blackening. Tattoos Wooden tattoo pattern block, pre-1927 Tattoo instrument (a small wooden handle with three nails), pre-1887 Nature is the main focus when designing a traditional Bornean tattooing such as leaves, animals, fruits, trees and branches. The most common of Borneo designs are thick black tribal work, which all have different meanings. Illustration from The Home-Life of Borneo Head-Hunters (1902).īorneo traditional tattooing is a hand tapping style of tattooing with two sticks, developed by some of the ancient tribes of Borneo. 1896-98), photograph by William Henry Furness III. "The Tattooing of a Kayan Married Woman," (c. JSTOR ( March 2012) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Bornean traditional tattooing" – news ![]() Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. ![]() This article needs additional citations for verification. ![]()
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