An exhibition of Atayal and Paiwan culture opened at the Museum Siam in Bangkok on Monday.
The “Tattoo Color, Tattoo Honor” exhibition features tattoo art, with “Face and Body” as its main theme.
It includes rare photographs depicting elders, as well as tattoos, tattooing tools, designs, wood carvings and a Paiwan tattooist from the early 20th century, said the National Taiwan Museum, co-organizer of the exhibition.
Atayal Lihang Workshop founder Baunay Watan said that facial tattoos are a projection of the Atayal view of life, values and the universe, where men must be courageous in battle and hunting, while women must be proficient in weaving to be eligible for marriage.
Facial tattoos are also believed to allow the bearers to be recognized by their ancestors in the afterlife, he said.
However, as elders with facial tattoos pass away, the culture might be forgotten, Baunay Watan said.
According to Angusan Palivulj, a Paiwan who is the warden of Nanhe Village (南和) in Pingtung, the tattoos not only have nice patterns, but also bestow honor and serve as a status symbol.
