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This study is based on contemporary observation of the tattoo culture in the indigenous Paiwan community in Taiwan, tracing the collective memory of family and clan-based tattoos and personal bodily experiences of tattoo, exploring the journey of the Paiwan people from the repression and loss of tattoo patterns to the gain of agency for the acceptance of indigenous tattoos, and finally Taiwan’s cultural preservation policy for indigenous tattoos. Due to the long-term ban and the passing of time, the younger generation of the indigenous Paiwan community are increasingly unfamiliar with family tattoo patterns, also due to factors such as the social stigma on tattooing and regulations imposed, and the influences from fashion and media sub-cultures. The younger generation of the indigenous Paiwan community are not able to distinguish symbolic family tattoos. The memories and craft of indigenous Paiwan tattoos are disappearing as youths adapt to modern society and leave indigenous communities early. While indigenous tattoo culture has been widely discussed in Austronesian cultural studies, the effects of modernization and nationalism have caused different developments for the Taiwan indigenous people, as seen in the two main indigenous communities with tattoo cultures, namely the Paiwan and Rukai indigenous hand tattoo culture and the Pan-facial tattoo indigenous communities’ tattoo culture. It is encouraging to see the revival of indigenous identity as a result of Paiwan hand tattoos in recent years, with the new generation actively pursuing their cultural identity. Traditional tattoos have also drawn the attention of international exchange and been under the spotlight. The traditional tattoos once suppressed and discouraged are regarded as uniquely multicultural in contemporary times, allowing for the reproduction of the Paiwan indigenous tattoo culture within mainstream tattoo culture. The younger generation are willing to restore the subjectivity of Paiwan indigenous tattoo culture, experiencing cultural values and contemporary social boundaries, deepening the geographical relationship of Taiwan with the rest of the Austronesian communities. However, with the long-term stigma for tattoos, as with how capitalism have bent traditional values, there is much need for consensus and problem-solving before Paiwan indigenous tattoo culture can regain its former glory.
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