TATTOOING AND OTHER FORMS OF MUTILATION
Cutting away of the Lobes of the Ears and knocking out of the
Teeth--Significance of the Different Designs of Tattoo-Marking among
the Taiyal--Tattooing among the Paiwan.
One form of mutilation--that of perforating the lobes of the ears--was
referred to in the last chapter. “Perforating,” however, inadequately
describes the cutting away of the major portion of the ear-lobe,
leaving only a thin circle of flesh through which is thrust the bamboo
ear-plug. As previously described, the bamboo tube is, in the case
of women, decorated by having strands of yarn, or of dried grass,
threaded through it; this being twisted to form a rosette at either
end of the bamboo. Men also wear the bamboo ear-plug, but I have never
seen the ear-plug of a man decorated with rosettes.[96] Masculine
vanity, as regards the ear, seems to take a different form--that of
having rings of wire twisted through the hole in the lobe, between
the bamboo ear-plug and the rim of flesh beneath it, so that these
“ear-rings” hang from the ear, sometimes jingling as the wearer walks,
if he be fortunate enough to secure enough wire to make several rings
for each ear. This added weight of the rings of wire depending from
the lobe of the ear, which has already been cut to a thin strip--to
allow the passage through it of the bamboo plug--sometimes causes the
flesh to tear through. The man to whom such an accident happens meets
with little sympathy; he is regarded as a weakling, and treated with
consequent scorn.
The most painful form of mutilation, however, common among all the
tribes except the Ami, is the knocking out of the two upper lateral
incisor teeth. This constitutes a sort of puberty ceremony, being
performed upon both boys and girls when they reach the age of thirteen
or fourteen. Among the Taiyal, the teeth--instead of being knocked out
with wooden blocks, as is common among the other tribes--are often
extracted with twisted China grass, or with a strand from a loom of
one of the women of the tribe. This ceremony is usually performed
by a priestess, though among some of the tribal units the honour
of performing the dental ceremony is conferred upon a valiant and
successful warrior. The reason given for extracting the teeth of youths
and maidens is that, as these are now no longer children, they must
cease to resemble monkeys and dogs, which have not the wisdom to remove
their teeth. As, however, the same custom exists among practically
all primitive peoples, the explanation given is a dubious one, and is
obviously “thought up” for the sake of satisfying the curiosity of the
white man, or woman, who is foolish enough to want to know the “reason
why” of customs that all sensible and well-brought-up people follow as
a matter of course.
Tattooing is a form of mutilation that is followed by the two large
tribes of Taiyal and Paiwan; the small tribe of Saisett imitating the
system in vogue among the Taiyal; the Tsarisen and Piyuma imitating
that of the Paiwan. The Taiyal system is the most distinctive, and
seems to have the greatest significance as indicating the status of the
individual in the tribe. The tattooing of the Taiyal is on the face.
When a child--whether boy or girl--reaches the age of about five, it
has tattooed on its forehead a series of horizontal lines, each line
being about half an inch in length. These lines are repeated, one above
another, from a point between the eyebrows to one just below the roots
of the hair; the design when finished giving the impression of a finely
striped rectangle about half an inch in width and two and a half inches
in height. Usually several children are tattooed at the same time, and
the occasion is made one of feasting and dancing. The children are by
this ceremony formally accepted as members of the tribe, entitled to
its rights and privileges, and also expected to bear some share of its
duties and responsibilities. It is usually at this time that a boy
is made to lay his hand upon the head of an enemy decapitated by his
father--a custom to which reference has previously been made.
A Japanese lecturer in a paper read before the China Society in London
in 1916--and afterwards published--said, in speaking of the Taiyal:
“When a boy attains the age of five or six he tattoos on his forehead a
series of three blocks of horizontal lines,” etc. “A girl also tattoos
her forehead at the same age.”
It was probably the English of the lecturer in question that was at
fault, not his knowledge of the subject. As a matter of fact, no
child tattoos itself. It is always an adult--usually a priestess--who
tattoos the child. The latter reclines upon the ground; the tattooer
stands behind the child and strikes its forehead with a tattooing
implement. This is a piece of bamboo--occasionally wood--with a number
of thorns (from six to ten) fastened at one end, somewhat resembling
a miniature toothbrush.[97] Often a block of wood is held in the
tattooer’s other hand, and with this the tattooing implement is struck
after it has been laid upon the forehead; this ensures a stronger
blow, and one more accurately placed. It seems necessary that blood
be drawn; this is wiped away, and into each puncture a sort of native
lamp-black--obtained by burning oily nuts--is rubbed; the effect is to
produce lines in the design described above.
The same method is employed by the priestess in tattooing the bride--a
custom to which reference was made in the chapter dealing with MARRIAGE
CUSTOMS. In this case, however, the tattooing is done upon the cheeks,
and in a design quite different from that which is made upon the
forehead of the child. The design that indicates matronhood is one that
practically covers both cheeks, extending from the mouth (the upper
line a little above it; the lower one a little below it, to be exact)
to the ear on each side. The design tattooed upon the bride is not
rectilinear, as was that tattooed upon her forehead in childhood, but
consists of upward-curving lines, between every three or four of which
is a row of marks resembling chevrons. That is, this is the design most
usually seen. In some cases, however--and this is seen more frequently
in the case of women prominent in the tribal unit, therefore is perhaps
an insignia of rank or of honour--the design begins with three parallel
curving lines, a little space, then another line; immediately below
which are two rows of chevrons. The lower row of chevrons rests, as it
were, upon another line; again a little space, then four more parallel
lines, the whole design, when completed, being one of great elaboration.
As the bride is tattooed after the fashion described, so must the
bridegroom also be tattooed. But in his case the tattooing must be
done before marriage; this in order to show that he is a successful
warrior, and therefore entitled to enter upon the married state. This
insignia of honour and of dignity befitting a Benedict consists of
tattoo-marks on the chin--a series of straight lines, a little longer
than those pricked into the forehead in childhood. By these presents
know all men that the chin-tattooed young brave has at least one head
to his credit--though in these degenerate days it may be only a head
decapitated by his father on which his young hands have been placed.
In such a case, however, it is with humiliation and with apologetic
explanations that confession is made of the fact that the valour was by
proxy.
Among the Paiwan the successful warriors are tattooed on the shoulders,
the chest, or the arms; sometimes on all these parts of the body; but
less significance seems attached by them to tattoo-marking than is the
case among the Taiyal. Social custom seems to allow the Paiwan greater
latitude in the choice of design, which seems to be regarded more as
of purely ornamental character. It is, however, possible that further
research will show as definite a system regarding tattoo-marking and
its significance to exist among the Paiwan as among the Taiyal.
Paiwan women are not tattooed on their bodies as the men of the tribe
are, or on their faces as are Taiyal women; but only on the backs
of their hands--little series of lines that approximate sometimes
squares, sometimes circles. The women of the Lu-chu islands have a
similar custom. Whether or not there has been any contact between the
two peoples would be an interesting subject for investigation.
The custom of circumcision does not seem to exist among any of the
Formosan tribes, either as a rite of puberty or of infancy. Nor did
I see any evidence while among them of finger mutilation, such as
exists among certain peoples in Africa; and also, I believe, among some
Australian tribes. Neither do young men pass through the extremely
painful initiation rites that are demanded of the young “braves” of
certain North American Indian tribes--notably the Sioux--such as
hanging suspended from a rod which is passed through the flesh of the
shoulders, walking over live coals, or the like. The most painful rite
to which either the young man or the young woman is subjected is that
of having the teeth extracted. This is usually borne with stoical
fortitude, and afterwards the youth or maiden will proudly boast of
the fact that the tongue can be seen through the teeth, and will lose
no opportunity of broadly smiling to demonstrate the truth of the
assertion.
FOOTNOTES:
[96] The ear-plugs worn by men of the Paiwan tribe are perhaps even
larger than those worn by the men of other tribes. For this reason the
Chinese-Formosans call the Paiwan _Tao-he-lan_ (“Big Ears”).
[97] Needles obtained by barter from the Japanese are now sometimes
substituted for thorns.