Point : Atayal Facial Tattoo Culture Studio |
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Facial tattoo is a very vital custom applied by Atayal. It is a symbol of glory. Only men who possess hunting skills and women with weaving talent can have facial tattoos. But during Japanese colonization period, facial tattoo was forbidden, hence the development of Atayal culture was stagnated. After the Retrocession of Taiwan, some people outside of the Atayal tribe misunderstood the meaning of facial tattoos. Kuei-shih Tien, an Atayal who lived in Kele Tribe of Fushi village, Sioulin Township, founded Atayal Facial Tattoo Culture Studio to correct the existing wrong concept on facial tattoos for his son was teased and laughed at in elementary school for the facial tattoo of his predecessors. He interviewed old Atayals, wrote down the history of facial tattooes and took evidential photographs. He worked in a factory at night and interviewed old Atayals during the day. After several years of hard work, he had visited all the Atayal tribes in Taiwan and taken more the 300 photos. He even collected a complete set of facial tattoo tools including pricker, brush, wooden hammer, trencher, bamboo strigil, and calabash used to hold pigment. The tools have roughly 200 years of history.
However in recent years, many old Atayals passed away, so interviews and photographic work had to stop. Kuei-shih Tien's work emphasizes on systematizing the historical and cultural materials, comparing the worldwide facial tattoo cultures of the present. A lot of domestic and overseas scholars come to visit his Culture Studio, as so do some schools and organizations. If you would like to know more about Atayal facial tattoo culture, please feel free to make yourself a guest. But please make an appointment in advance.
Address: No.28-8 second lane Fushi village Sioulin township, Hualien county.
Tel. 03-8610648
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