Malaysia - From The Ashes Of A Dying Art

Mention The Words “tattoo” and “Borneo” in the same sentence and chances are that body art enthusiasts will think of the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

- Yong Xin Ni ELYSSA

A Sarawak tribesman performing his traditional dance

By stubbornly sticking to their tradition of inking their bodies, the Iban – who make up the state’s largest ethnic group – eventually put Sarawak, and by extension the entire island, on the global tattooing map. And that distinction is not lost on tattoo artists in the adjacent state of Sabah, who admit to enjoying the good reputation affixed to Borneo when it comes to the art courtesy of their southern neighbour.

A performance at Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching, Sarawak

Unlike Sarawak, however, the inking tradition was not as well preserved in Sabah despite their similar cultures and experiences facing a cultural overhaul by their British colonists. According to Universiti Malaysia Sabah arts professor Dr Ismail Ibrahim, as the British masters systematically dismantled age-old cultures and “uncivilised practices” to make way for their societal ideals, Sabah’s natives eventually saw no reason to continue with the once-significant act of marking their bodies.

The Bidayuh longhouse at Sarawak Cultural Village

Iban elder at Nanga Sumpa longhouse in Sarawak