Markings

Tepu' Bekan Ayu showing us some of her prized tattoos decorating both her arms and legs. The nature of tattooing among indigenous tribes in Sarawak is a long and varied one outside of this scope, but among Kelabit women, tattoos used to be a measure of class and a symbol of beauty. Nowadays the practice is almost non-existent among younger generations.

Part of a visit with Bekan Ayu.

Rumah Labang, Kelabit Highlands, Sarawak, Malaysia, 2009

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