The Meaning of Tattoos, for Dayak Society (Indonesia)

DO NOT surprised if people go to villages and meet with the Dayak elders who decorated the various beautiful tattoos in some parts of the body. Tattoos are not just decoration, especially that blade is considered. However, the tattoo for the Dayak people have a very deep meaning.

Tattoos for the Dayak ethnic communities are part of the tradition, religion, social status of someone in the community, and can also form as a tribute to the ability of a tribe. Therefore, the tattoo can not be made carelessly.

There are certain rules, in making the tattoo or Parung, good choice of pictures, the social structure of the tattoo and the placement of tattoos. However, the tattoos have a religious meaning in the Dayak community, namely as a "torch" in the journey toward a natural immortality after death.

Therefore, more and more tattoos, "torch" will be the light, and natural way to eternity the field. However, creating a permanent tattoo can not be made just as much as possible in municipal waste, it must comply with the rules of custom.

"Each sub-tribe of Dayaks have different rules in making tattoos. In fact, there are also sub-tribe Dayak tradition does not recognize the tattoos," says Mering Ngo, citizen Dayak tribe anthropologist who is also a graduate of the University of Indonesia.

For the Dayak tribes who lived on the border, Kalimantan and Sarawak Malaysia, for example, a tattoo around the fingers of the tribe indicates that benevolent treatment as experts. The more tattoos on the hands, showed him the more and more experts to help in treatment.

For the community and the Dayak Kenyah Dayak Kayan in East Kalimantan, the number of tattoos, has described the person often roam. Because, every village has a different motif tattoo, the tattoo signifies the owner has visited many villages.

Do not imagine the village is only a few kilometers. In Kalimantan, the distance between villages can be even hundreds of thousands of kilometers, and the boat must be using the river more than a month!

Tattoos can also be given to the nobleman. Among the Dayak Kenyah people, a common motif for the nobleman (paren) are the hornbills of endemic birds that sacred Kalimantan.

As for the Dayak Iban, the tribe and its descendants, use the tattoo with motif "on the world" or something that lives in the air. In addition to motifs selected, how to manufacture tattoo nobility usually more subtle detail and compared to the middle-tattoo (panyen).

For the other sub-tribes, the tattoo is associated with the tradition decapitate the enemy in a war (mengayau in indonesia). This tradition is already tens of years is not done anymore, but used the more mengayau, tattoo motif is more special and unique.

For the other sub-tribes, Tattoos for the daredevil in this battleground, usually placed in the right shoulder. But on the other sub-tribes, are placed in the left arm if keberaniannya "normal", and in the right arm, if courage and keperkasaannya in the battle field is very unusual.

Tattoos or Parung or betik not only for men but also women. For men, tattoos can be made in any part of the body, while the female is usually only on the feet and hands.

If the male is associated with a tattoo of an award or honor, making the women more motivated religious tattoo.

In the sub tribe, making tattoos also associated with women's self, so that the technical term tedak kayaan, which means that women do not use the tattoo is considered lower in rank than the use of tattoos. However, views such as this only applies in a small sub tribe Dayak.

In the Dayak Kayan tribe, there are three kinds of tattoos that are usually in the women's clothing, among other tedak kassa, ie covers the whole foot and after the adult. Tedak usuu, tattoos are made on all hands and tedak hapii on the entire thigh.

Meanwhile, in the Dayak Kenyah tribe, making tattoos on women begins at the age of 16 years, or after the first period. For tattoos for women, is done with the customary ceremonies in a special home. During the making of tattoos, all men should not be out of the house. Besides, the whole family is also required to undergo a variety of taboo to avoid disaster for the women who are getting tattoos and their families.

Motif tattoo for women, more limited, such as drawing a picture that is black around the finger joint called the song irang or bamboo shoots. As for the cross on the back of the book is called finger ikor. Tattoos on the wrist called the tiger face image silong lejau.

There is also a tattoo that is made in the thigh. Dayak women, have tattoos on the thigh, social status is very high and usually has a ring at the bottom of the calf.

Motif tattoo on the thigh are usually also like silong lejau. The difference with the tattoo on the hand, there are transverse to the calf, called nang klinge.

Tattoos are very rarely found in the knee. However there is also the tattoo on the knee in men and women, who usually made at the end of making tattoos in the body. Tattoos are made on the knee and calf to the circle to the snake-like, actual dog imitation or called tuang buvong ASU.

Tattoos on both men and women, traditionally made to use the orange spine long, slow-slow and then use some of the needles at once. That does not change is the creation of the tattoo usually use the smoke from the pot black.