A few modern theorists believe that certain design (jungle animals and plants) and dark colouring used in Dayak Tattoos serve as perfect camouflage for hunter hunting in the jungle . It blends nicely within the natural surroundings. A tattoo, in some Dayak beliefs, signifies a torch for the dead, a guidance theta leads them trough the darkness into the eternity in the longhouses (traditional houses) of their ancestors in the afterlife. Beside that, a tattoo in Dayak also, among other things, signifies :
Social status : the hornbill or burung enggang motif is designated only for the noble. Only women of high rank and have their calves and upper legs tattooed.
Spritual Protection : the hornbill, scorpion, and centipede designs are used as protection against evil sprits.
Achievements : great warriors got tattooed after a war or a hunting expedition. In Kayan and Kenyah tribes, tattoos of different in a man indicate that he travels a lot.
Expertise : tattoo markings, like rings, on finger indicate that a person is an expert in helping others, such as a traditional healer. The more tattoos a person has, the more expert he/sehe is.
Fertility : The Lahanan tribe use tendril hooks and bamboo shoot imagery as symbols of fertility.
Elongated Earlobes
In some Dayak sub-tribes, men and women elongate their earlobes using weight like metal rings, pendants, beads and other heavy object. Kayans would elongate their earlobes to show high social status, nobility, and debt-free status. But in many villages upstreams of the
