Tattooing is a part of daily life among the coastal Iban (Sea Dayak), though their designs have changed. Many men still have the traditional rosettes, but the new generation prefer Chinese dragons, Asian girls, military symbols and other foreign motifs. Historically, the Iban borrowed tattoo motifs from other tribes and adapted them to their own taste. Iban warriors tattooed themselves with images of animals and feared or enigmatic phenomena. In the past, these were representations of tigers, scorpions and crocodiles. During the Second World War, images of aeroplanes were used, and in the 1960s, helicopters appeared. This provides us with a unique insight into the evolution of a lively tattoo culture.

The Iban claim that the traditional rosette is a plant or fruit motif, but they often give their own interpretations to tattoos they copied from others. They maintained that the stars on their chest and shoulders also represented fruits. The dog motif evolved into a scorpion (kala) or a scorpion-dog (kala asu) among the Iban.