Papua has many distinctive rituals known to grow and develop in its community. One of them is a body tattoo. Tattoos are one of the cultures on the north coast of Papua. Around 3 thousand years ago, Austronesian people from Asia migrated to the Papua region, bringing Papuan tattoos.
Ingrained Papuan Tattoo Tradition
All coastal Papuans had tattoos placed on their bodies in a standard order, often on women. Many Papuan tattoo designs were handed down the generations, frequently from mother to daughter and even from father to son. Around the age of five or seven, the first girls with tattoos from their wrists to elbows and elbows to shoulders appeared.
Girls between the ages of seven and eight had tattoos placed on their faces, lower abdomens, vulva, navel, waist, outer thighs, and knees. The tattooing process began around ten and continued until the neck was complete.
As puberty approached, marks appeared on the back, buttocks, backs of thighs, and legs. When ready for marriage, V-shaped tattoos were placed from the neck to the navel. Other tattoos might occasionally be applied if the girl’s father, brother, or another near relative had slain another man or if they had demonstrated proficiency in fishing or trading outings. These marks were all ceremonial and occasionally sensual. A girl was not suitable for marriage if she lacked these.
Papuan Tattoo of 3 Tribes
1. Sentani Tribe
In Jayapura Regency, the name “Enahu,” which was once widely used by the locals to refer to the customary tattoos of the Sentani tribe, is starting to lose favor. One of the indigenous Sentani tribe’s customs is only still known to the old and younger generations.
The nine fish, eels, and birds of paradise are widely tattooed on the bodies of Sentani women. The bride’s facial characteristics will be emphasized by her tattoos. A fish and a bird of paradise, on the other hand, represent a woman who helps her community.
Sentani, the groom, received crocodile, shark, snake, and cassowary tattoos, despite the fact that a man’s tattoo should improve the groom’s beauty. These beings stand in for a man’s masculinity.
2. Moi Tribe
In the Sorong Regency in West Papua, only the eldest members of the Moi Tribe are currently tattooed. According to some, they are in danger of going extinct since they keep getting Papuan tattoos while the younger generation does not. The Sorong Regency is home to members of the Moi tribe of Native Americans.
The Sorong Regency is home to the Malamoi Tribe, or the area governed by Moi Tribal customary law. The body decorations worn by the Moi Tribe are composed of fine charcoal (yak kibi), which is produced by burning wood along with langsat tree sap (loum).
In traditional tattoo designs, thorns from sago trees or fish bones are put with langsat sap and charcoal on top of the thorns. It may appear on the back of the body, calves, hips, eyelids, cheeks, and chest.
The Moi Tribe’s traditional tattooing is a cultural tradition we must preserve; many parties must work together to do this—starting with the institutions for indigenous people, the elder and younger generations of the Moi tribe, and affiliated organizations.
3. Waropen Tribe
In Papua, women are more likely than males to tattoo the Waropen people. The Waropen ladies inflicted several tattoos on their bodies during their pubertal years, including on their arms, faces, chests, legs, and Onda drawings of boats, letters, and writing.
Using two fish bones laced with wooden sticks that have, the skin is painted black and then punctured with two fish bones.
As a final step, the tiny incisions are massaged with black to cause a minor inflammation, which will permanently etch the motif into the skin. Rather than perform the entire procedure at once, tattooing takes two to three days to heal because it is pretty unpleasant.
Papuan Tattoo Code Lost in Time
Along the Papuan coast, the bodies of men and women no longer communicate in their complex, formal language. And the flesh no longer sparkles with intricately detailed tattoos as it heaves in the humid jungle heat.
Final Words
The practice of Papuan tattoo must be preserved, and many parties, including the appropriate local government and institutions for indigenous peoples, as well as the older and younger generations and Papua, must collaborate to achieve so.
