Myanmar · Body Art / Tattooing
မျက်နှာတက် (Myin Dat)
The Chin facial tattoo tradition (မျက်နှာတက် myin dat) is the practice of tattooing the faces of Chin women with sub-group-specific patterns — historically a coming-of-age practice for Chin women beginning around age 11–15, producing distinctive facial designs ranging from fine dotted lines (Muun sub-group) to bold spider-web patterns (Matu sub-group) to solid black face coverage (Dai sub-group). CRAFT documents this tradition at the making/technique level while noting that the practice is effectively extinct — the last facial tattooing is believed to have occurred in the 1960s–1980s, and all living women with facial tattoos are elderly. The tattooing technique used a set of thorns or needles bound together and dipped in soot-and-water ink, tapped into the skin with a wooden mallet in precise pattern sequences memorized by the tattoo practitioner (typically an older woman). The pattern sequences were the practitioner's primary knowledge.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not inscribed
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