“Engraving Prestige: Hand Tattoo of Paiwan, Laiyi” features eight video interviews and photographs of 21 octogenarians from southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County, as well as a display of historic wooden sculptures.
Chen Wen-shan, who took the shots and is also a staffer at Pingtung-based Laiyi Indigenous Museum, spent three years documenting the stories of tattooed Paiwan elders. “The Japanese cracked down on the practice during the colonial period [1895-1945], ensuring it would one day fade from sight.
“I feel a sense of responsibility to record the ritual as 21 of the 34 surviving VuVu are from Laiyi Township,” he said, adding that VuVu is a term of respect given to a grandparent in Paiwan dialect.
According to Chen, he was deeply moved by the accounts of interviewee Lee Chih-ying, aka Livekes Rusuguwan in Paiwan, who vividly recollected the pain of the four-day tattooing process involving charcoal dust from cooking pots and tangerine tree sticks.
“Lee was forbidden to cry or move during the practice, and was told that pregnant women were not allowed to watch the ritual,” Chen said.
In Paiwan custom, hand tattooing is restricted to the daughters of tribal chiefs and aristocrats. It symbolizes honor and purity, with patterns reflecting social status. Commonly seen markings include 100-pacer snakes, human forms and radiant suns.
Iling Dawa Panay, head of Taiwan Indigenous Culture Park, said there is still hope that hand tattooing can survive in the 21st century. “This intangible cultural asset is being passed on to the next generation via oral narrations recorded with the assistance of local community workers.
“In fact, one of the chiefs has given his blessing to four females from the tribe willing to undergo the ritual,” she said. “This is a real step forward and may inspire other young members of the tribe to play a part in continuing the tradition.” (YCH-JSM)
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