According to Yap legend, the ancient god Wolfgat created the first tattoo and taught the skill to the Ifalik men. Tattooing on Yap, introduced from the island of Ulithi to the north, only started at the beginning of the nineteenth century. In those days, it was a privilege reserved for courageous warriors who were adorned with marks of honour on their fingers and legs. The act of tattooing was called götau, and though mostly practised by women, there are reports of men tattooing each other.

Yap men's tattoos were originally a line on the leg, which in addition to being decorative also indicated which village he came from. The characteristic chest and back designs were only commonplace from the end of the nineteenth century and were probably adopted from the island Ulithi. They consisted of narrow central lines over the chest with complex geometric designs on both sides. The same style was also found on Ulithi, Palau and the Sonsorol Islands southwest of Palu.