By Sr. Judith Malon, OSA
A Missionary in Taiwan

Mountain People
The Taiwan aborigines surviving today are generally known as mountain tribespeople, and classified into nine main groups.

Tattoo on the Face
Facial tattooing is a special feature of the Atayal tribe, the mountain people among whom I work here in Chingchuan, the men wear one or more vertical stripes tattooed on the forehead and chin, while the women may wear three or five vertical stripes in the center of forehead, with between one and three short horizontal stripes on either side forming a cross- shaped design. Or they may wear doubled stripes running from the ears to the corners of the mouth, or to the upper chin.

Proud Mark
Many reasons have been advanced to account for this facial tattooing, but its main significance lies in personal adornment. It is also said ward of harm and to enable the wearer to meet his or her kinspersons after death. Basically it is a tribal sign, a mark of village identity, and the mountain people who have these permanent marks on their faces feel proud to be distinguished in this way from the lowlanders.

Sex Appeal
This facial tattooing is also a symbol of adult sex appeal. The boys want to marry the girls with these facial marks and vise versa. They receive the tattoo marks between the ages if twelve and thirteen. Some young people, seeing the horrible sight of their friends’ swollen faces and seeing that they could not eat for days, have refuse to submit to the practice

Still Proud of It.
During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, the custom was discontinued. But it is still a cause for pride among the tribespeople of Chingchuan. Incidentally, the majority of these are Catholics.