Mentawai’s Tribal Tattoo Tradition

One of the oldest artworks that is still popular in the present day and has been a part of human life for thousands of years is the art of tattoo. Despite its rarity, only a handful of indigenous people who live in the hinterland continue to practice tribal tattoo art. One of Indonesian tribes with an extensive connection to tattoo culture is the Mentawai. Tattoos serve as clothes for the Mentawai people. According to the Mentawai, tattoos are an embodiment of their life spirit. This spiritualism transforms tattoos into something sacred as opposed to just a  sign of self-identity. 

Mentawai tribe is a people that inhabits the Mentawai islands located in West Sumatra. The tribe is split up into a number of distinct clans, each of which has a distinctive culture of its own. The Mentawai have been tattooing their bodies since their arrival to Sumatra in the Metal Age, around 1500 – 500 BC. Mentawai tribe is a proto-Malay people who migrated from Yunan and mixed with the Dong Son tribe in Vietnam, which also has tattoo traditions. This finding demonstrates that Mentawai tattoos predate Egyptian tattoos, which first appeared around 1300 BC, as the world’s oldest tattoo art. The tattoo art of the Mentawai tribe is similar to that of other Austronesian and Polynesian cultures.

The word for tattoo in the Mentawai language is tiktik, which means identity. A tattoo, like its meaning, is an identifier that marks a person’s origin. Each clan in Mentawai has its unique motif to reflect its regional roots. Tattoos can also be used as signs of one’s status in society and capability. Hunters will tattoo their bodies with the animals they hunt. Sikerei, the Mentawai elders, will also tattoo their bodies with sibalu-balu (an indigenous animal in Mentawai) motifs in order to emphasize their standing as leaders. Tattoo motifs that distinguish between women and men additionally portray gender representation (masculine and feminine). The subba (ladder) motif will be applied to women since it represents their daily existence of catching fish in the river using a ladder. Tattoos are a representation of a person’s identity, hence not just any motif can be applied.

Mentawai tattoos are associated with the animist beliefs of the Mentawai tribe known as Arat Sabulungan. They believe that everything in the world has a soul. Inanimate items like rocks and canoes are thought to have souls, as well as living things like animals and plants. The significance of Mentawai tattoos, which have motifs of both living and non-living objects, is also influenced by this philosophy. These tattoos are thought to represent the harmony of the universe. The Mentawai consider tattooing to be mandatory because they feel it is inextricably linked to their way of life.

Along with their beliefs, the Mentawai people express their gratitude to their gods by having tattoos of living things on their body. The land’s floral and animal designs are present as an expression of gratitude to Tai Kaleleu, the forest’s king. In contrast, the representation of a water animal is a way of appreciation to the god of the sea, Tai Kabagatkosa. Thus, the bird motif is an expression of gratitude to Tai Kamanua, the lord of the air. As a gift to Tai Kabagatkosa, Tai Kaleleu, and Tai Kamanua, a ceremony known as Punen Patiti will take place prior to the tattooing.

In Mentawai, tattoo artists are called Sipatiti. When Mentawai people want to acquire tattoos, they come to Sipatiti and pay with pigs or chickens. Pigs are important animals in Mentawai as they are associated with lavish meals and traditional ceremonies. Generally, Sipatiti will receive one or two pigs. The tattooing procedure still used a simple tattoo tool known as lilipat patitik, which is made up of two pieces of wood, one for the needle and one for the beater. Tattoo needles are composed of tapering wire, and some are thorns from orange trees. The ink color is created by combining crushed wood charcoal with sugar cane juice.

Before starting the tattooing, Sipatiti will draw a design using a stick on the area of the body that will be inked. The needle will be smeared with black ink before being inserted into the pattern-drawn skin. The next step involves hitting the wood to insert the black ink into the skin following the pattern that has been made. As the tools are relatively crude, inflammation and infection are possible. In order to prevent this from happening, the Mentawai people have a traditional treatment that uses kukeut leaves as a medication to reduce infection and swelling.

The Mentawai tribe classifies age in tattooing which is divided into three groups. First, children at the age of 11 to12 years old are tattooed at the underside of the arm. Second, teenage adults at the ages of 18 to 19 years old are tattooed on their thighs. Third, people over the age of 19 continue the durukat pattern over the chest, back of hands, thighs, legs, and belly. Then, move on to the rest of the body. Unfortunately, the restriction on tattoos in schools has prohibited Mentawai children from carrying on the practice. Tattoos can only be obtained by persons who do not attend school. 

Despite being an obligation, Mentawai tattoos are being cut out due to pressure from the government and other cultures. In the mid-1950s, Baha’i was the first outside religion to penetrate Siberut. Then there were Christian missionaries who actively campaigned to outlaw the Mentawai tattoo culture. The Mentawai tattoo tradition is being prohibited. Since the Indonesian government prohibited native beliefs, including Arat Sabulungan, as part of a modernisation effort, this restriction has grown in boundaries. Body tattooing and other Arat Sabulungan traditions are strictly prohibited. In fact, objects related to traditional rituals including tattooing tools were burned by the police. The Mentawai people were forced to reject their traditional beliefs in favor of a religion recognized by the government. Tattoos were gradually worn only by grownups as the younger generation increasingly hesitant had their tattoos.

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