- China's Tattoo Revolution & The Dulong Tribe Pt. 1 -
by Damian McGrath, Tattoos.com

China is a new world for modern electric tattooing which has only been around for about seven years. However, unknown to many in this industry, myself included, it has a rich history of traditional tattooing among the Dulong, a tribe in the mountain region near the border with Myanmar (formerly Burma) whose population numbers less than 8,000 people. Most of them lived at the banks of Dulong River, Yunnan Province. Located in a canyon with a depth of 3,800 meters (12,467 feet) and surrounded by the Tibetan Plateau in the north, the Gaoligong Mountain in the east, and the Dandanglika Mountain in the west, the inhabitated area of the Dulong ethnic minority was isolated.Before the foundation of modern China, the productivity of the Dulong ethnic minority was as low as that of a patrilineal clanship.

But this tattooing tradition is on the brink of extinction and the last of the tattooed Dulong women made the ardourous journey from their small village in Southern China to Beijing (which literally translates to Northern Capital). to prove to the Chinese government tattoos have always been and should continue to be a part of Chinese culture.

Thanks to Kisen, the President of the China Association of tattoo artists and organizer of the China International Tattoo Festival I had a chance to photograph these women and interview them through one of their Granddaughters, who acted as both translator and chaperone for the women who had never been out of this small village in their life.

Three of the last four tattooed women ranging in age between 68-73 started their ardourous journey by foot from this mountain Village of about three thousand people. Through mountain passes and over rope bridges they trekked for an entire day before reaching a small town to catch a bus to a larger town and subsuquently a second bus to Kunming City in Yunnan province where they boarded a train for a three day Journey to Beijing.

It was important to the China Assoc.of tattoo artists to have these women attend the convention as proof that tattooing is a part of Chinese culture and not only a trend of the youth of today but a part of China's rich and diverse history stretching back over the millenia. Abai, the granddaughter of Daisong (which means second child) took out time with me to talk about the history of her peoples tattoos and attended a meeting with the Director of Ministry of unsubstantiated Culture with Kisen and I in order to help convince the Chinese government to recognize tattooig as a part of their culture (more of this further on).

Abai, who normaly works distributing medicine amoung the mountain people in these remote village tells me grandmother was tattooed on her face at the age of 15 by her older brothers wife. Similar stories and name structure applies to other two elder Dulong women. The other women, Luosongbula, which means healthy one, had her tattoos applied at the age of ten by her older brother's wife. She says the expeience of having the sharpened bamboo sticks punture the face inserting soot which is scraped from the exterior of a open fire cooking pot was a painful memory. I nod in agreement as she points to the Tahitian Moko on my face and nods and smiles. The third Dulong elder, Chini, which means number five in the family tells us she was tattooed at the age of thirteen by younger sister ten years of age, so she does not think hers are that good. Abai is translating to Chinese and my translator is in turn telling me in English, as the Dulong is spoken and not written.

The Dulong language belongs to Sino-Tibetan phylum and is without written form. In the past, they communicated and made notes by the primitive way of mood-carving. This probably explains why there is no real record of when this tradition began, although it has been handed down in old stories as long as any story tellers in the tribe can remember.

When I ask about the cultural or ritualistic reasoning behind markings Abai tells me that Dulong women are timid and were often taken as brides by marauding horseman that decended frm neiboring tribes. The application of these markings may have made them less desirable as wives or perhaps more easily recognized by loved ones as yeas went by and an opportunity arose for rescue. Abai tells me, "Also when you die if you have these marks and your grandmother sees you she will know you and then you can be sent back to live again (reincarnation I assume). The Dulong people believe that there are spirits controlling their fortune and the change of nature, so they often worship and charm away those spirits.

However, either due to a lack of faith or the sharp decline in marauding horseman this is now a dying tradition and thelast of these tattoos will dissapear with these elder women. As this tradition dissapears a new modern tattoo culture evolves and Kisen brings the Dulong elders with me and artists form the China assoc. of professional Tattoists to meet with the Government. See China's Tattoo Reveloution Pt. 2