Tribal women of Formosa
October 9th, 2009
According to Masegseg Jingror: “”Tattoo marking is a common practice among the…Atayal. For women, having tattoo marks on one’s face and body means three things: First, it is a symbol of reaching maturity.Second, it indicates that she is a person capable [of] weaving. And finally but not the least, when they pass away they can recognize the spirits of their ancestors in heaven through the design of the tattoo marks.Besides, tattoo marks were believed to have magical power which enabled them to avoid evil forces. But more importantly, tattoos are marks of their identity indicating to which tribe they belong”" (Tung 1996, p.152).
