by Shenie M. Solorzano
A tradition is passing on beliefs or customs from one generation to the next. Traditions are one of the foundations of a culture, but what happens when a tradition is no longer in practice? Could this mean that a piece of that culture becomes extinct? In pre-colonial Taiwan, aboriginal men and women had beautiful and elaborate facial tattoos that held a special significance within their tribe. However, the aboriginal custom of facial tattoos is vanishing.
Throughout its history, Taiwan has seen a wide range of colonial periods and with each new ruling regime came major changes for the Taiwanese aboriginal tribes. One of these changes was prohibiting facial tattoos. By 1914, the custom became extinct and only a handful of aboriginal people had facial tattoos. In the last decade, scholars wanted to know more about this disappearing tradition. According to the Atayal tribe, facial tattoos represent their life from their birth to their death and are symbols of adulthood. The scholars discovered that there are eight specific meanings for having facial tattoos.
The first meaning is proliferation—men and women passing on the traditions and practices of their tribe to the next generation. The second is the expulsion of evil spirits, which means any member of the tribe who reaches adolescence without facial tattoos will bring destruction and a curse to their family and, therefore, will be banished. The third meaning is identification so members of a specific tribe know their own tribesmen. The fourth is the symbol of adolescence, which means young people do not have facial tattoos—only men with extensive hunting experience and women with weaving skills who have reached puberty. The fifth meaning is aestheticism, the facial tattoos are a sign of beauty. The sixth is heroic pride—men who have earned their facial tattoos have proven their superior hunting skills and are able to marry. Women who have earned their facial tattoos have shown their talents in weaving and design. The eighth and last meaning is called the Passport to Ancestor’s Spirit, which is the belief that when a member of the tribe dies and they have a facial tattoo, one of their ancestors will greet them and guide them to the spirit world.
The Taiwanese aboriginal people have a long and rich history, like our own indigenous Americans whose customs and traditions are also disappearing. It is important to have a better understanding of these traditions. Within the next 10 years, the custom of Taiwanese aboriginal facial tattoos will have completely vanished which will mark the end of their generation.
