8/14/2019 A Tattooed Republic

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A tattooed republic?

Klas Lundstrm, Contributor, Jakarta | Feature | Tue, August 14 2012, 611 A!

"a#red A $alinese %oman %it& an 'omkara( tattoo stands at $atu $olong bea#& in Canggu during a )uri*i#ation ritual on

!ar#& 20+J-.Agung -arames%ara/

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ig& time to look beond $ali *or tourism o))ortunities

T&ere is room at t&e inn *or uali*ied &uman resour#es

"a#red s)a#e or &)erkits#&3

At t&e #a* at t&e train station in 5ogakarta, a man in &is late 20s )ulls u) &is le*t

s&irtsleee+ A #ool bree7e *rom a *an &its t&e *res& tattoo+

8ne or t%o #a* guests #ast ui#k, nerous glan#es at t&e man9s arm %&ile &e t&anks

someone else *or t&e kind %ords regarding &is latest a#uisition : a tattoo en#ir#led b a

dark, e;)li#it ba#kground+

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T%ent ears ago, t&is sig&t %ould more or less &ae been im)ossible in =ndonesia+ A )erson

%it& a )ubli#l dis)laed tattoo %ould most likel &ae *a#ed seere re)risals : des)ite t&e

*a#t t&at t&e #ountr in#ludes man #ultures %it& bod de#oration traditions, in#luding

tattoos+

Tattoos *or a long time : in )eo)le9s and )oliti#ian9s ees : %ere euialent to #rime and

danger+ And, art in =ndonesia during t&e "oe&arto era, as in ot&er Asian #ountries su#& as t&e

-&ili))ines, "inga)ore and T&ailand during t&e 1>?09s and 1>@09s, %as a )oliti#al mine*ield

%&ere artists ran t&e risk o* being labeled dissidents, #ommunists or t&reats to t&e nation+

8rdinar At t&e T%o uns tattoo studio in $ali, sterile eui)ment is al%as used+ Tattoo )arlors in $ali %ere brie*l under

*ire a*ter an Australian %arning against getting tattoos on t&e a#ation island, #iting a re)ort o* someone #ontra#ting =B

*rom unsterile eui)ment+J-.J+ -+ D%an/

T&e tattoo made its #omeba#k *rom t&e #old in =ndonesia t&anks to t&e o%ner o* a tattoo

)arlor in 5ogakarta a man named At&onk+ =n t&e underground s#ene, At&onk is still

#onsidered a s&ining star %&o used t&e tattoo needle as a tool to bring ba#k tribal smbolism

*rom t&e dead : ba#k into a gro%ing s)&ere in t&e '"out&east Asian Tiger9s( #ultural li*e+

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8ne o* At&onk9s #ontributions to t&e #ultural )erestroika #ame t&e ear be*ore "oe&arto9s

resignation, in 1>>?, %&en t&e #ountr9s *irst eer organi7ed tattoo *estial %as &eld in

5ogakarta+

Forbidden =n A#e& in e#ember o* last ear, tattoos be#ame a tou#& subDe#t %it& t&e arrests o* do7ens o* ')unks(, o*ten

tattooed+J-.otli "imanDuntak/

=t is said t&at t&e !enta%ai )eo)le, liing on islands o** t&e %est #oast o* "umatra, #ontains

t&e oldest )roo* o* a tattoo #ulture, and t&e aak )eo)le o* $orneo &ae long used t&e bod

de#oration o* tattoos+

"o#ial ant&ro)ologist Laine $erman %rote '=n Jaa, an resear#& related to t&e art o* tattoo

must kee) in mind t&e *a#t t&at tattoos in man %as *orm t&e so#ioe#onomi# border line

bet%een ri#& and )oor+(

$ot& sides, $erman #ontinues, &ae ado)ted t&e tattoo, but *or entirel di**erent reasons, and

&ad t&em made under #om)letel di**erent #ir#umstan#es+

T&e di**eren#e #an be illustrated b t&e aried moti*s, t&e )erson9s reason *or %anting a

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tattoo, and i* t&e get it done b a *riend in a domesti# enironment, in a ni#e tattoo )arlor

%it& sterile eui)ment or on a street #orner %it& &andmade eui)ment and *atal &ealt& risks+

eroin addi#ts &ae used tattoo art %&ile tring to de*eat t&eir drug addi#tion+

Tattoos, and some moti*s, are belieed to #ontain s)iritual *or#es and o**er #lose #onta#t tood or t&e gods : t&ere*ore tattoos &ae al%as been used as talismans to )rote#t t&eir

bearers *rom eil s)irits+

=solated #iili7ations in $orneo and "umatra su**ered in t&e %ake o* t&e arrial o* Euro)eans

and im)erialism : in order to a))ease t&eir ne% gods, aak %omen &ad t&eir earlobes #ut

o**, and mig&t tribesmen &ad t&eir tattoos remoed b #learing t&eir tattooed skin+

=n t&e 1>@09s, %&en t&e =ndonesian e#onom %as in turmoil, 'tattooed #riminals( be#ame a

let&al )oliti#al e;)ression+ =n ne%s)a)ers one #ould read about )eo)le being killed, sim)l

labeled as 'tattooed(, %it&out an *urt&er in*ormation+

'-eo)le %earing tattoos, oluntaril started to &and t&emseles in to t&e )oli#e, sim)l to

aoid being killed in t&e streets,( James "iegel %rites in A e% Criminal T)e in Jakarta

CounterGHeolution Toda+ T&e killed 'tattooed )eo)le( %ere o*ten le*t on t&e road as a

%arning sign to t&e )ubli#+

Artists remain traumati7ed b t&e %a t&e %ere treated during t&e "oe&arto regime, sas one

o* t&e %ritings in A%asI, a #olle#tion o* essas about t&e modern =ndonesian art s#ene+

Censors&i) &as taken its toll artists #ontinue to sel*G#ensor, %&i#& in t&e long run a**e#ts t&e

entire #ountr9s #ultural s#ene+

=n eer demo#ra#, its #ultural state o* mind tells ou &o% )eo)le reall *eel+

A##ording to $erman, in a so#iet %&ere )eo)le *or a long time &ad to lie %it& t&eir ees

#losed, t&e tend to aoid #ultural e;)ressions t&at #&allenge middleG#lass li*estles and nonG

urban so#ial alternaties+ $erman talks about a mono#ulture on t&e artisti# *ront t&at *or man

ears seemed to e#li)se =ndonesia+

o%eer, t&e sig&t o* t&e oung dis)laing t&eir tattoos in )ubli# strongl indi#ates t&at t&ere

are more #olors t&an bla#k and %&ite )resent in modernGda =ndonesia+

Toda, tattoos seem to be a gro%ing )art o* so#iet+ Tattoo )arlors #an be seen in most o* t&e

bigger #ities on Jaa and $ali, and =ndonesian artists o*ten dis)la t&eir %orks at international

tattoo *estials+

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Alt&oug& t&ese mobile tattoo )arlors are o*ten *ound under an es#alator or in t&e #orner near

t&e )ubli# restrooms ne;t to t&e *ood #ourt, most )eo)le #&oose to look on t&e brig&t side+

o%adas, at least t&e9re inside t&e malls, integrated in t&e range o* #ommer#ial

alternaties, a gro%ing )art o* t&e #ommunit+