The following is a brief excerpt from Tattoo History: A Source Book, by Stephen G. Gilbert now available in print.

Tattoo History Source Book: Borneo

Borneo is one of the few places in the world where traditional tribal tattooing is still practiced today just as it has been for thousands of years. Until recently many of the inland tribes had little contact with the outside world. As a result, they have preserved many aspects of their traditional way of life, including tattooing.

One reason for the physical and cultural isolation of the inland natives is the sheer size of Borneo. It covers an area five times as large as England and Wales, and ranks as the third largest island in the world (only Greenland and New Guinea are larger). The landscape consists for the most part of steep hills, mountains, and dense rain forests. There are few roads, and most travel occurs by air or by boats which traverse Borneo¹s many rivers.

Recent archaeological finds indicate that the ancestors of some contemporary native tribes have lived in Borneo for over 50,000 years. Well into the twentieth century many of them lived the life of the stone age. They fished, hunted, and cultivated rice just as their ancestors had. Game was abundant and the forest constantly renewed itself.

The term Dayak is applied to a variety of aboriginal native tribes including the Ibans, Kayans, Kenyahs, and others. Among these people there is great diversity: some Dayak tribes differ from each other as much as they differ from the Chinese and Malays who have established trading settlements along the coast.

Before the middle of the nineteenth century Borneo was largely unknown to the West, and the first published description of the Dayaks appeared toward the end of the nineteenth century. Charles Hose and William MacDougall¹s The Pagan Tribes of Borneo, published in l912, is the classic account of tribal life. Hose and MacDougall traveled extensively in Borneo and collected much first-hand information, including many tattoo designs. Their work remains the classic record of the traditional life and customs of the Dayaks.