The Inked Life-Modern Dayak Tattooists

Tattoos and tattooing have a long history in Borneo. Much has been written about the uniqueness of Bornean tattoos and this is rightly so, for it is an important part of indigenous Dayak culture in Borneo. However, while the focus has mainly been on the traditional designs and preservation aspects...

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Main Authors: Justin Dit, Terry, Ental, Peter Jamba
Format: Conference Paper
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86046
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author Justin Dit, Terry
Ental, Peter Jamba
author_facet Justin Dit, Terry
Ental, Peter Jamba
author_sort Justin Dit, Terry
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Tattoos and tattooing have a long history in Borneo. Much has been written about the uniqueness of Bornean tattoos and this is rightly so, for it is an important part of indigenous Dayak culture in Borneo. However, while the focus has mainly been on the traditional designs and preservation aspects of tattooing, not much is written about modern Dayak tattoo artists and their world. In this preliminary research paper we will look at the lives and experiences of contemporary Dayak tattooists, to explore what tattooing means to them-what motivations do they have in pursuing the art and how do they see themselves and the impact of the art that they created on their clients and ultimately themselves. Oral interviews were conducted to record and document the professional life and experiences of the tattoo artists. The preliminary data that was obtained indicated that far from dying ,the art is still alive and there is a niche area of female tattooists, both Dayak and non-Dayak which should be explored.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-860462021-10-19T02:25:51Z The Inked Life-Modern Dayak Tattooists Justin Dit, Terry Ental, Peter Jamba Tattoo Dayak Sarawak Urban Tradition Tattoos and tattooing have a long history in Borneo. Much has been written about the uniqueness of Bornean tattoos and this is rightly so, for it is an important part of indigenous Dayak culture in Borneo. However, while the focus has mainly been on the traditional designs and preservation aspects of tattooing, not much is written about modern Dayak tattoo artists and their world. In this preliminary research paper we will look at the lives and experiences of contemporary Dayak tattooists, to explore what tattooing means to them-what motivations do they have in pursuing the art and how do they see themselves and the impact of the art that they created on their clients and ultimately themselves. Oral interviews were conducted to record and document the professional life and experiences of the tattoo artists. The preliminary data that was obtained indicated that far from dying ,the art is still alive and there is a niche area of female tattooists, both Dayak and non-Dayak which should be explored. 2021 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86046 fulltext
spellingShingle Tattoo
Dayak
Sarawak
Urban
Tradition
Justin Dit, Terry
Ental, Peter Jamba
The Inked Life-Modern Dayak Tattooists
title The Inked Life-Modern Dayak Tattooists
title_full The Inked Life-Modern Dayak Tattooists
title_fullStr The Inked Life-Modern Dayak Tattooists
title_full_unstemmed The Inked Life-Modern Dayak Tattooists
title_short The Inked Life-Modern Dayak Tattooists
title_sort inked life-modern dayak tattooists
topic Tattoo
Dayak
Sarawak
Urban
Tradition
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86046