documentary Li Basadung Tribe woman

LI TATTOOING

Li culture and cosmology, however, were not only embodied in musical

traditions; they were also inscribed on the surfaces of the body as

tattoo. All Li groups tattooed and the practice was more common among

women, although men tattooed three blue rings around their wrists for

medicinal purposes. Tattoo designs and motifs differed between each

tribe, and sometimes they differed among families. One writer working

for the National Geographic Magazine in the 1930s said you

could ?read the village, social standing, and identity? through a

woman?s tattoos; her woven textiles supposedly imparted similar

information.

 

When a Li girl of the Basadung tribe reached the age of thirteen or

fourteen an old women, who was not necessarily a relative, first

tattooed her on the nape of the neck and then on the face and throat

in the course of four or five days. Over the next three years, her

arms and legs were marked, unless somebody in the family died which

interrupted the tattooing. The designs were stenciled on the skin

with Chinese ink; then a thorn was used to prick the skin, followed

by the rubbing of soot mixed with water into the wounds.

 

The Meifu basically adhered to the Basadung practice while other

groups created a chin tattoo that extended down the throat in two

pairs of lines. These pairs of lines continued down the torso and

across the breast moving downwards again to the belly meeting at the

navel which they encircled.

 

Li tattoos signified that a woman had become eligible to be married

and traditionally the ritual was accompanied by an elaborate puberty

ceremony in the village center. Li women interviewed in the 1930s

said their tattoos not only made them beautiful, but allowed them to

be recognized by their ancestors after death.

 

VANISHING TATTOOS

Today, contemporary Hainan is no longer the remote and mysterious

wilderness situated at "The Tail of the Dragon." Traditional tattoos

are now only worn on the bodies of a few elderly women in a handful

of villages. Yet as these enduring fragments remain, they allow us to

partially glimpse an indelible past shaped not by one hand but by

many over successive generations of cultural practice that at one

time connected ritual, myth, and nature from which Li tattoo culture

ultimately sprang.

very good work,congrats.my friend.

Dear Alec,many thanks for showing us the vanishing tribe with age-old customs and for the information. Very good composition,light and exposure,as usual.

beautiful portrait, interesting story.

Wonderful portrair.Grat shot and details.Regards

Great details and contrasting colours in this wonderful portrait with an extremely interesting story. Compliments and regards, Maury

Wonderful expression and colours. Very nice portrait. Regards.

Beautiful light and color. Superb composition.

Very nice photo. Interesting...thanks for sharing~ Iren

nothing more to say other than you do good work each and every time... Take care..

Alec, interesting face and information!Interesting that are also tattooed woman as a tradition in Ethiopian women.

Great details, excellent colours and very good framing...

Excellent portrait,Alec!Very interesting tattoo-work.

Cheers,Jim

Beautiful image. Perfect lighting and a priceless expression. -David :)