There are many kinds of traditional body arts in Indonesia. Many ancients tribes had done it as a tradition. They pierced, painted, and did strange thing with their body.

In Indonesia, the piercing tradition is usually done by the Asmat tribe in the Merauke district and Dani tribe in Jayawijaya regency, Papua. The Asmat Men pierced their nose using wood or pig's shoulder bone as a sign of maturity.

Dayak tribe in Borneo (Kalimantan) had known a marked tradition in the body through the ears pierced since the 17th century. Only a special  person can pierce themselves. Special person like the chief of tribe or warlords who wore ear piercing. Dayak women use a weight earrings to enlarge their ear's lobe. According to their beliefs, the greater the earlobe hole enlargement, the more beautiful and high social status in the community. This primitive model is much imitated by the piercing style in the world community.

According to history, people used to have body arts like tattoo or body piercing, scalpelling, body painting, and etc since 3000 BC. First tattoo was found in Egypt, in the body of a mummy. Then tattoo was spread all over the world like in the Indian tribe in United States and Polinesia tribe in Asia. Then to the Dayak tribe in Borneo (Kalimantan). The Dayak tribe used to have tattoos with the torn of orange tree.

In Borneo (Kalimantan), the native women there think that a tattoo is a symbol that indicates the special expertise
Mentawai people in Sumatra  look at tattoos as something sacred and serves as a symbol of natural balance        

Dayak Tribe, like Mentawai Tribe think that tattoo is a religious tradition that indicates social status. Dayak tribe called tattoo as Betik. Betik combine the life of human being, animals, and plants become one to express spiritual thing in the cosmic environment.

Betik is a reward for Dayak's hero. In ancient time, the Dayak hero who was succeed to cut of their enemy's head was rewarded by a Betik or tattoo. One Betik represent one enemy's head. It's really scary.

Before making a tattoo they used to draw the motif first. After that, tattoo was carved with a needle sticking up to the skin. Before knew the needle, they used the torn of orange tree.

To draw a tattoo on the body, Dayak communities use natural materials, like Damar wood and Borneo Ironwood charcoal. Damar is the family of Dipterocarpoideae. As addition, they used soot from the pot for black color. They ground all the ingredients until smooth, then mixed with the traditional Dayak's oil. After finished, they used it to coloring the traditional Dayak tattoo.

Dayak women believed that tattoo represent their succeed in making a woven cloth, dancing, or singing for protective purposes. Dayak tribe believed that woven cloth is a mean that connect them with the spirits that helped them. Textile work, in social and ritual was rewarded by tattoo on woman's hand.

They believed that tattoo is a light for them when they died. Tattoo is a friend to the eternity. The more tattoos they had on their body the more lights they had in their eternity paths.

But in some Dayak sub-tribes, such as the Dayak Kayaan, it is mostly the women, who were tattooed. Not many men were tattooed due to the requirements and restrictions. Kayaan men are tattooed only if they have been mengayo (head-hunting). If a Kayaan man has a tattoo on the upper part of his thumb, it means that he once went head-hunting. A headhunter is respected by members of his tribe.

For Kayaan women, the tat­too symbolises beauty and pride. A Kayaan woman who does not have a tattoo considers herself lower in rank to those who have them. There are three types of tattoos for Kayaan women. The first one, tedak kasaa' covers the entire part of a woman's legs and is only for grownups. The tedak uses' covers her arms while tedak hapii' covers her thighs.