Tungus

Tungus is a historical name associated especially with the Evenki and related Tungusic peoples of Siberia. Hunting, reindeer keeping and skilled work with hides shaped life across their forest homelands.

Early accounts describe striking facial tattoos. Three curved lines could run from the corners of the mouth towards the outer corners of the eyes, rather than down over the chin.

Some descriptions record greased, pigment-darkened thread being pulled beneath the skin. Once the thread was removed, the pattern remained. The technique turned sewing tools into tattooing instruments.

Evert Ysbrants Ides travelled across Siberia in the 1690s as an envoy of Peter the Great. His published journey brought these communities before European readers. The portraits show tattoos alongside clothing and ornaments, preserving local details within a much wider Tungusic world.