Wen Shen: The Vanishing Art of Chinese Tribal Culture

Article © 2009 Lars Krutak

Tattooed Headhunters of Taiwan

As noted previously, the earliest Chinese account of tattoo on Taiwan was written in the seventh century A.D. and appeared in the text entitled History of the Sui (636 A.D.). Although the reference is brief, I think there may be some truth to it since the Paiwan have a long tradition of tattooing abstract motifs of the hundred-pace viper on their bodies. These serpent designs adorned the skins of headhunting men and were especially significant because they recounted mythological origins. The hundred-pace viper is considered to be "the spirit of life, the greatest of all the spirits" and represents the guardian spirit of the Paiwan people.

	Paiwan men's tattoos, 1900-1950. The anthropomorphic tattoos on some men indicated the warrior's headhunting victims. The hundred-pace viper motif can be seen zigzagging between horizontal and vertical bars tattooed on the arms, chest, and back. Photographs courtesy of Dr. John T.J. Ho.

Men and women's tattoo marks differed according to the social status of the wearer and tattooing was generally a privilege of the Paiwan nobility, but a commoner could purchase the right from a "big chief."

Paiwan tattooists were mostly professional women who inherited the occupation through the family line. Each village had one or two artists, but most were aristocrats by birth and at the same time shamans (as opposed to male shamans amongst the Li of Hainan). Paiwan tattoo artists received payment from all clients, except members of the ruling chief's family. The amount of reward differed according to the complexity of the design chosen. For example, the cost of tattooing a man's chest, back, and both arms was high: one pig, two iron rakes, four waist knives, one axe, one roll of cloth, one porcelain bowl, and a bottle of wine.

Paiwan tattoo artists used bamboo splints or grass stems as rulers, and the back of a knife covered with soot as a pencil to draft the desired motifs. Tattoo needles were made by binding a pair of steel needles with linen thread on a bamboo stick about 40cm in length. The needles were again wrapped with linen thread, and only 2-3cm of the point could be seen. A small knife was used to tap the needles with soot pigment into the skin, and the handle of this instrument was also used to scrape away excess blood. Before the introduction of steel needles, the Paiwan used thorns of the mountain orange as a tattoo needle.

Like other tattoo cultures in Southeast Asia, Paiwan men and women were tattooed in the winter in the belief that the wounds would heal more quickly in the drier air. The ritual operation was performed in a small hut specifically built for the purpose. To prevent intruders, a bamboo stick was erected in front of the hut. The client usually reclined during the operation, but women who were to receive hand tattoos sat upright. Each unit of the design was punctured repeatedly, up to three or four times.

Paiwan tattoo artist at work and various hand patterns, ca. 1950. Photographs and illustrations courtesy of Dr. John T.J. Ho.

Rukai chief and headhunter's tattoos, ca. 1900. Among the Rukai and Paiwan, it was believed that the spirits of their ancestors dwelled in their beheading knives which were held in the possession of the tribe for several generations. However, the Paiwan were not necessarily tattooed after having taken a head. Instead, the successful warrior was also denoted by the wearing of a certain kind of cap which was woven by women of the tribe.

Prior to the operation, the tattoo client had to present the ruling chief with ceremonial beverages: for it was the chief who decided the appropriate day of the tattooing. Offerings were made to the spirits of the ancestors and various taboos were observed. During the operation, the tattooist spat betel nut juice on the tattooed area to stop excessive bleeding.

Paiwan women tattooed their arms, the backs of their hands, their knees, and the calves. The designs consisted mainly of lines or dots. Paiwan men tattooed the chest, arms, knees, and calves. Sometimes the motifs were realistic consisting of human heads, human figures, serpent or solar designs.

A related tribe, the Rukai, also employed female shamans as their tattooists. Before the first marks were laid on the skin, prayers and offerings, consisting of glass beads and betel nuts, were given to guardian spirits in order to protect the tattoo client from evil spirits aroused by the bloodletting. Other ceremonial taboos tied to the tattooing included: no sexual relations immediately before the operation; no tattooing while a corpse lay in the village or when a woman was menstruating; no ingestion of animal blood before the tattooing; and no use of red-colored clothing during the operation.

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Museum photo gallery of these images may be seen here.