ABSTRACT
P. Schebesta’s remarks with regard to face-painting among Jehai being due to Sakai influence raise the question as to whether all face- or body-painting among the Negritos is due to borrowing. Tattooing is fairly firmly established among the Bateg Negritos and was common on the Cheka River in 1913 on both males and females. All the Cheka Negritos questioned were unanimous in saying that the art of tattooing was one which had been known for generations. A mutilation common, or universal, among certain Negrito groups is the boring of the nasal septum. Tooth-filing is another mutilation commonly performed among the Negritos, also among the Malays before marriage. W. W. Skeat saw among the Siong Negritos of S. Kedah, that is the Kensieu, the tips of the noses and the cheeks of the men coloured with a yellow unguent used for decorative purposes only.
