Meaning of Tattoos Community Dayak

Tattoos are bagaian from seni.Do Not surprised if people go to villages and meet with the Dayak elders who decorated the various tattoo beautiful in some parts of the body. Tattoos decorate the body they are not just decoration, especially that blade is considered. However, the tattoo for the Dayak people have a very deep meaning.

Tattoos for the Dayak ethnic communities are part of the tradition, religion, social status of someone in the community, and can also form as a tribute to the ability of a tribe. Therefore, the tattoo can not be made carelessly.

There are certain rules in making the tattoo or Parung, good choice of pictures, the social structure of the ditato and placement tatonya. However, the tattoos have a religious meaning in the Dayak community, namely as a "torch" in the journey toward a natural immortality after death.

Therefore, more and more tattoos, "torch" will be light and natural way to eternity the field. However, still only making tattoos can not be made as much as possible in municipal waste, because it must comply with the rules of custom.

"Each sub-tribe of Dayaks have different rules in making tattoos. In fact, there are also sub-tribe Dayak tradition does not recognize the tattoos," says Mering Ngo, citizen Dayak tribe anthropologist who is also a graduate of the University of Indonesia.

For the Dayak tribes who lived in Sarawak border Kalimantan and Malaysia, for example, a tattoo around the fingers of the tribe indicates that benevolent treatment as experts. The more tattoos on the hands, showed him the more and more experts to help in treatment.

For the community and the Dayak Kenyah Dayak Kayan in East Kalimantan, many people describe the tattoo is often roam. Since each village has a different motif tattoo, the tattoo signifies the owner has visited many villages.

Do not imagine the village is only a few kilometers. In Kalimantan, antarkampung distance can be hundreds and even thousands of kilometers, and the boat must be using the river more than a month!

"Therefore, an award given to the immigrants in the form of a tattoo," said Chairman II Persekutuan Dayak Kalimantan Timur (PDKT), Yacobus Bayau Lung.

Tattoos can also be given to the nobleman. Among the Dayak Kenyah people, a common motif for the nobleman (paren) are the hornbills of endemic birds that dikeramatkan Kalimantan.

As for the Dayak Iban, the tribe and its descendants with the motif ditato "top of the world" or something that lives in the air. In addition motifnya selected, how to manufacture tattoo nobility usually more subtle detail and compared to the middle-tattoo (panyen).

Subsuku for the other, the tattoo is associated with the tradition mengayau or decapitate the enemy in a war. This tradition is already tens of years is not done anymore, but used the more mengayau, tatonya motif is more special and unique.

Tattoos for the daredevil in this battleground, usually placed in the right shoulder. But on the other subsuku, placed in the left arm if keberaniannya "normal", and in the right arm, if courage and keperkasaannya in the battle field is very unusual.

"The tattoo is associated with this mengayau, used as a form of tribute and homage to the tribe of people who brave and meritorious," said Simon Devung, an expert from the Central Dayak for Social Forestry (CSF) Mulawarman University Samarinda.

Tattoos or Parung or betik not only for men but also women. For men, tattoos can be made in any part of the body, while the female is usually only on the feet and hands.

If the male is associated with a tattoo of an award or honor, making the women more motivated religious tattoo.

"The making of tattoos on the hands and feet can be protected from the influence of evil spirits, and always be in the shelter of the earth," said Yacobus Bayau Lung.

At a certain subsuku, making tattoos also associated with women's self, so that the technical term tedak kayaan, which means that women do not bertato considered lower in rank than the bertato. However, views such as this only applies in a small subsuku Dayak.

In the Dayak Kayan tribe, there are three kinds of tattoos that are usually in the women's clothing, among other tedak kassa, ie covers the whole foot and after the adult. Tedak usuu, tattoos are made on all hands and tedak hapii on the entire thigh.

Meanwhile, in the Dayak Kenyah tribe, making tattoos on women starting at age 16 years or after the first period. For tattoos for women, is done with the customary ceremonies in a special home. During the making of tattoos, all men should not be out of the house. Besides, the whole family is also required to undergo a variety of taboo to avoid disaster for the women who are ditato and their families.

Motif tattoo for women, more limited, such as drawing a picture that is black around the finger joint called the song irang or bamboo shoots. As for the cross on the back of the book is called finger ikor. Tattoos on the wrist called the tiger face image silong lejau.

There is also a tattoo that is made in the thigh. Dayak women have a tattoo on the thigh high social status and are usually equipped at the bottom of the ring shank.

Motif tattoo on the thigh are usually also like silong lejau. The difference with the tattoo on the hand, there are transverse to the calf, called nang klinge.

Tattoos are very rarely found in the knee. However there is also the tattoo on the knee in men and women, who usually made at the end of making tattoos in the body. Tattoos are made on the knee and calf to the circle to the snake-like, actual dog imitation or called tuang buvong ASU.

Tattoos on both men and women, traditionally made to use the orange spine long and slow-slow and use some of the needles at once. That does not change is the creation of the tattoo usually use the smoke from the pot black.