Malaysia— Tattoo scenes & cities

In Borneo, in the state of Sarawak, the Iban saw their tattoos as charms given by spirits, often in dreams. Young men received the "eggplant flower" (bungai terung) on their shoulders before setting off on bejalai, a journey to gain knowledge and wealth. They then added designs through life, like the pages of a journal.

Among the Kayan, it was mostly women who were tattooed, by women artists, from about the age of ten, and the work had to be complete before marriage. The technique, tapping with two sticks, was the same among the peoples of Sarawak. In the mid-20th century, missionaries pushed the practice back; today young Indigenous people are taking it up again, but few artists still tattoo by hand.