One of the most notable tattoo cultures in Indonesia is that of the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra where the inhabitants have developed their own symbolic language.
Their tattoos can only be appreciated in the context of a complete design on the body, not individually. They consist of simple geometrical lines that transect the body at various places, ending in elegant curves on the cheeks. The foundation is always a central line running from the chin to the pubic area. This line is sometimes interrupted and travels over the shoulders where it diverges to other limbs, forming a kind of breastplate. The simple curling patterns on the hands and calves bear some resemblance to Borneo tattoos. The Mentawai people are one of the few Indonesian tribes whose tattoo tradition has remained unchanged.
Mentawai men are extensively decorated often with representations of birds or other animals on their feet or shins in addition to the lines and curves mentioned earlier. The Mentawai do not know the origin of their designs. They were headhunters until the Dutch prohibited the practice, but a relationship between headhunting and tattooing cannot be verified.