Mentawai Indonesia with its legendary Tattoo Tradition

The Mentawai people have been tattooing their bodies since their arrival to the west coast of Sumatra. The Proto-Malays came from mainland Asia (Indochina), in the Metal Age, 1500 BC-500 BC. That means, mentawailah tattoos are the oldest in the world. Not Egyptian tattoos, as mentioned in various books. Tattoos are said to have been taken from the word tatau in the Tahitian language. This word was first recorded by Western civilization in the expedition of James Cook in 1769.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the oldest tattoos were found on Egyptian mummies from the 20th century BC. Permanent marks made by inserting dye into the skin layer are found in almost all parts of the world. According to Ady Rosa, 48, a lecturer in Fine Arts, Padang State University, West Sumatra, Egyptian tattoos only existed in 1300 BC. According to this master of fine arts, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the Mentawai people have been tattooing their bodies since their arrival to the west coast of Sumatra. The Proto-Malays came from mainland Asia (Indochina), during the Metal Age, 1500 BC-500 BC. ''That means, Mentawai tattoos are the oldest in the world,'' said Ady Rosa, who has been researching tattoos for 10 years. In Mentawai.

Tattoos are known as titi. In Ady Rosa's research, apart from Mentawai and Egypt, tattoos were also found in Siberia (300 BC), England (54 BC), Haida Indians in America, Eskimo tribes, Hawaii and the Marquesas Islands. Rapa Nui in the Easter Islands, Maori in New Zealand, Dayak in Kalimantan and Sumba in West Sumatra. For the Mentawai people, tattoos are the spirit of life. Ady, who in 1992 explored the Mentawai cultural center on Siberut Island, found at least four tattoo positions there. One of the positions for tattoos is to show identity and differences in social or professional status. Sikerei shaman tattoos, for example, are different from hunting expert tattoos. Hunting experts are known for their captured animals, such as pigs, deer, monkeys, birds or crocodiles.

Sikerei is known from the Sibalu-balu star tattoo on his body. Hikayat Arat Sabulungan jokingly stated, ''So, before the generals had stars, the Mentawai shamans had them first….'' According to Ady's research, which two ITB professors, A.D. Pirous and Primadi Tabrani, nicknamed "General Tattoos", for the Mentawai people, tattoos also have a function as a symbol of the balance of nature. In that society, objects such as stones, animals and plants must be enshrined on the body. ''They think all things have a soul,'' said Ady. Another function of tattoos is beauty.

The Mentawai people are also free to tattoo their bodies according to their creativity. The position of tattoos is regulated by the belief of the Mentawai tribe, ''Arat Sabulungan''. This term comes from the word sa (se) or a group, as well as bulung or leaves. The bunch of leaves strung together in a circle made of palm or sago palm shoots is believed to have the magical power of kere or ketse. This is then used as a medium for worshiping Tai Kabagat Koat (God of the Sea), Tai Ka-leleu (spirit of forests and mountains), and Tai Ka Manua (spirit of the sky). Arat Sabulungan is used in every birth, marriage, treatment, moving ceremony. home, and tattoos. When boys enter puberty, aged 11-12 years, parents call sikerei and rimata (tribal chiefs). They will negotiate to determine the day and month of the implementation of the tattoo. After that, the sipatiti -the tattoo artist is chosen. Sipatiti is not a position based on community appointments, such as a shaman or tribal chief, but a male profession. His skill had to be paid for with a pig.

Before the tattoo, a punen enegat, aka an initiation ceremony led by a sikerei, will be carried out at the puturukat (sipatiti's gallery). The body of the child to be tattooed is then drawn with a stick. The sketch on the body was then pierced with a wooden-stemmed needle. This wooden stalk is gently beaten with a wooden bat to introduce the dye into the skin layer. The dye used is a mixture of banana leaves and coconut shell charcoal.

The promise of the Borneo Crow Early tattooing or paypay sakoyuan, it is done at the base of the arm. When he reached adulthood, his tattoos continued with durukat patterns on the chest, titi takep on the hands, titi rere on the thighs and legs, titi puso on the stomach, then titi teytey on the waist and back. In conclusion Ady Rosa, Mentawai tattoos are closely related to culture dongson in Vietnam. Allegedly, this is where the Mentawai people come from. From that ancestral land, they sailed to the Pacific Ocean and New Zealand. As a result, similar motifs are also found in several tribes in Hawaii, the Marquesas Islands, the Rapa Nui tribe in the Easter Islands, and the Maori tribe in New Zealand.

Mentawai tattoos are more democratic

In Indonesia, according to Ady, the Mentawai tattoo tradition is more democratic than the Dayak tattoo in Kalimantan. In Dayak culture, tattoos indicate a person's wealth status. ''The more tattooed, the richer,'' he said. After all, Baruamas Jabang Balumus, 67 years old, a traditional Dayak figure from the Taman tribe, said that in the tattoos of the Dayak community there are other aspects besides symbols of social strata. "Tattoos are a form of respect for ancestors," said the character whose real name is Masuka Djanting. An example is the tattoo tradition in the Dayak Iban and Dayak Kayan cultures.

In both tribes, tattooing is believed to be a symbol and a means to reveal the ruler of nature. Tattoos are also believed to be able to ward off evil spirits, and ward off disease or the spirit of death. Tattoos are a form of expression to God related to Dayak cosmology. For the Dayak people, nature is divided into three: upper, middle and lower. Symbols representing the upper cosmos are seen in the hornbill, moon and sun tattoo motifs. The middle world, where humans live, is symbolized by the tree of life. While the dragon is a motif that shows the underworld. Charles Hose, a British officer at the Sarawak Civil Service Office in 1884, diligently recorded the legends believed by the Dayaks. In the book Natural Man, A Record from Borneo, published by Oxford University Press, 1990, Charles Hose recounts the promise of the Bornean crow and the Argus Kuau bird to decorate their feathers with each other. After the First Menstruation In the legend, the crow managed to do its job smoothly. Honey, kuau is a stupid bird. Unable to do so, finally kuau argus asked the crow to sit on a bowl of ink, then rubbed it all over the body of the kuau, the scavenger. Since then, it is said, crows and kuau birds have feather color and ''makeup'' as it is today. Widely, tattoos are found throughout the Dayak community. However, Hose assesses, the best tattoo techniques and designs are owned by the Kayan tribe. For this tribe, tattooing is only done if certain conditions are met. For men, the tattooing process is done after he can head the enemy's head.

The tradition of tattooing for men is slowly sinking in line with the prohibition of headhunting. After the ban, tattoos only appeared for aesthetic purposes. Tattoo tradition is not lost on the Eve. Now, they consider tattoos as a symbol of beauty and self-respect. Although the Dayak community does not recognize caste, tedak kayaan, aka women without tattoos, are considered lower in rank than those with tattoos. There are three types of tattoos.

which is usually worn by Dayak Kayan women. Among other things, tedak gauze, which covers the entire foot and is used as an adult. Others are tedak usuu all over the hands, and tedak hapii all over the thighs. Among the Dayak Kenyah tribe, tattooing begins when a woman is 16 years old, or after her first menstruation. The traditional ceremony is carried out in a special house. During the tattoo, all men in the house are not allowed to leave the house. In addition, all family members are also required to undergo various taboos. It is said that if the taboo is violated, the safety of the person being tattooed will be threatened. In the past, so that the tattooed child does not move, a large dimple is placed on his body. If the child cries, the crying must be done in a special tone. In the Iban Dayak community, tattoos depict social status. Customary heads, village heads, and warlords tattoo themselves with symbols of the world above. The symbols of the underworld only adorn the bodies of ordinary people. This motif is passed down from generation to generation to show the line of kinship.

A sikerei (cultural shaman) tells about the creation of Mentawai tattoos. Tattoos, they call them titi, are a part of artistic expression and symbolize the status of people from the Mentawai Tribe. In the past, tattoos were popular among both men and women of Mentawai who had grown up. Now, only a small part of the Mentawai tribe is still tattooed. Some of them can be found in the interior of Siberut Island.

Tattoos are made by a sipatiti (tattoo maker). The process of making a tattoo takes a long time, especially at the preparation stage which can take months. There are a number of ceremonies and taboos (punen) that must be passed by the person who wants to get a tattoo. Not everyone can pass this stage.

Before Sipatiti starts getting tattoos, there is a ceremonial ritual led by a sikerei (Mentawai cultural shaman). The host then held a feast by slaughtering pigs and chickens. Pork and chicken are also paid for sikerei. Tutulu said that holding a tattoo party alone can cost around five million rupiah. The needles used are made of animal bones or sharpened karai wood. By tapping them, lines are created which are the main motifs of Mentawai tribal tattoos. The dye used comes from the charcoal attached to the cauldron. Sikerei, who is Tutulu's older brother, said that tattoos usually start with the palms, hands, feet and then the body. Over the course of a few days, the newly tattooed skin will swell and bleed.

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