Handtapping Tattoo Revival

In the forests and cities of Indonesia, ancient stories are being written again—not on paper, but on skin.

Across the archipelago, traditional tattoos once carried the marks of identity, adulthood, beauty, courage, and a person’s bond with nature. Among the Dayak people of Borneo, flowers, leaves, animals, and bold black lines traced a journey through life. In the Mentawai Islands, long flowing patterns across the chest, shoulders, hands, and feet reflected a deep relationship with the natural world.

For decades, these traditions nearly disappeared. Missionaries, government pressure, urban migration, and the pull of modern life pushed many young people away from ancestral practices. But today, a new generation of tattoo artists is helping bring them back.

Traditional hand-tapping motif — A tattoo artist uses the traditional 'hand tapping' method during a traditional tattoo festival in the village of Maguwoharjo located in Yogyakarta, Java's cultural heartland.

At a tattoo gathering in Maguwoharjo, Java, artists and enthusiasts came together to celebrate hand-tapping, a centuries-old method where a needle fixed to a stick is gently tapped into the skin by hand. Unlike modern tattoo machines, the process is slow, intimate, and deeply connected to ritual.

For artists like Herpianto Hendra, a Dayak tattooist, this revival is more than a trend. It is a way of reclaiming pride. More young Indonesians are now searching for tattoos that carry meaning—not just decoration, but memory, ancestry, and belonging.

Hand tattoo detail — Celebrated Indonesian tattoo artist Durga, lights an oil lamp during the traditional tattoo festival in the village of Maguwoharjo in Yogyakarta, Java's cultural heartland. Durga has championed tattoos from the western Mentawai islands, home to a semi-nomadic tribespeople famed for their body art and the practice of sharpening their teeth, which they believe makes them more beautiful.

The practice known as 'hand-tapping' had almost faded out completely, as modernity overwhelmed Indonesia's tribes and younger generations eschewed their ancestors' ways, but tattoo artists have in recent years been driving a revival as more and more people seek to reconnect with the past.

The revival has been driven by a small group of contemporary tattoo artists, some who have learnt 'hand-tapping' methods from local tribes and have put a modern twist on ancient designs – increasingly popular among the young and hip living in Indonesian cities and abroad.

The revival has also reached urban spaces. In Jakarta, a small museum dedicated to indigenous body art preserves photographs, tools, and stories from tattooed communities. There, artists continue to practice hand-tapping, adapting old techniques with sterilized needles and modern safety standards while keeping the spirit of the tradition alive.

'There is a growing trend now, there are more people who want to learn about traditional tattooing – I am very happy about it,' said Herpianto Hendra, a tattoo artist who uses the ancient method and is a member of Borneo's Dayak tribespeople.

'I am proud that my culture is being recognised.'

Still, the future is fragile. Some tattoo styles from remote communities remain at risk of being forgotten. Without careful documentation, this knowledge—passed through hands, skin, and memory—could disappear.

But for now, each tap of the needle becomes an act of remembrance. Each pattern becomes a bridge between past and present. And each tattooed body carries a story that refuses to fade.