Ńaʼay

Connection to names
The Ńaʼay was considered the primary mode of personal expression and identification, personal names were constructed as a verbal reflection of the tattoos. The parts of the tattoo, called Uńaʼay [uˈŋaʔai̯], each correspond to the parts of the name, called Uńuʼu [uˈŋuʔu]. The Uńuʼu can be understood as using the medium of language to express the Uńa’ay, and to some extent, a person's name could be read through their tattoos. It was said that if a person was told the full name of a person in the next village over to go and meet, they could identify them by sight alone. A person had several Uńuʼu which were strung together in sequence to form their full Ūžańuʼu [uːˈʒaŋuʔu] "whole-name". Different parts of the name were used in different contexts, with the full Ūžańuʼu used only in very particular rituals and historical records.

At birth, a person received their Sańuʼu [saˈŋuʔu] "small-name" from their mother. This was a placeholder name used until a person received their first tattoos and was not considered part of the Ūžańuʼu. The Sańuʼu would be picked from a handful of short, generic names used by everyone, though there may have been some regional variation. There were different names for boys and girls and parents would tend not to pick a name they had already used for a previous child. It was somewhat taboo for people other than the parents to refer to a child by their Sańuʼu, people would instead refer to children indirectly using their mother's name.

Wōjama
The main part of the Ńaʼay was a series of maturity-warding tattoos called Wōjama [woːˈdʒama] (“may-(you)-be-wells”) that every person received in accordance with age rituals, and which symbolised wellness and good wishes.

Wōmavanaʼa
The first was a series of mouth tattoos called the Wōmavana’a [woːˈmavan̪aʔa] (“may-(you)-speak-wells”) that a person received at the age of ten. Like all parts of the ńaʼay, the Wōjama varied by region, but were generally composed of straight lines coming from the mouth to the nose. These tattoos were meant to ward off angry spirits that may cause someone to yell or verbally hurt their fellow person.

Wōmajanēs
The second set of tattoos was a series of feet and ankle tattoos called the Wōmajanēs [woːˈmadʒan̪eːs] (“may-(you)-step-wells”) that one received on their 14th birthday. These were meant to symbolise good luck in one’s travels on solid land.

Wōmavuru
On one’s 15th birthday, a person received the most important series of hand, wrist, and forearm tattoos called the Wōmavuru [woːˈmavuɾu] (“may-(you)-do-good-works”). Many regions are known to have had intricate and detailed tattoos on the forearms and backs of the hands, usually including three solid black bars on the wrists representing the three parts of the self in traditional Xiyeru culture; body, spirit, and blood. The hand tattoos were known to fade, so it was commonplace for these tattoos to be touched up and reworked as time passes. Allowing one's own hand tattoos to become egregiously faded was strongly taboo.

Wōmavawiʼi
The second to last part of the Wōjama was received when one turns 25. These were a series of forehead and eye-area tattoos called the Wōmavawi’i [woːˈmavawiʔi] (“may-(you)-see-wells”). As a person aged they became a more trusted hunter and sailor, this tattoo was meant to ensure that they were well focused and ready on the sea whenever necessary.

Wōmajamoyu
Finally, a set of back and calf tattoos called Wōmajamoyu [woːˈmadʒamoju] (“may-(you)-sleep-wells”), or sometimes Wōmajazava [woːˈmadʒazava] (“may-(you)-die-wells”), was received when one was nearing their death. These were meant to symbolise the connection with nature, the deities, one’s community, and the Āeruwe’a that a person had built up throughout their life.

Ugumamavuru
There were various other tattoos that would be given to a person when they performed acts of bravery. These were called Ugumamavuru [uˈŋumamavuɾu] (“many-many-very-good-deeds”).

Uwe’ańa’ay
Parental tattoos were called Uwe’ańa’ay [uˈweʔaŋaʔai̯] (“river-markings”), they symbolised the parent’s connection with the river deity (Goddess of the Parenting, Leadership, and the Rivers).

Weruńa’ay
Kinship tattoos called Weruńa’ay [weˈɾuŋaʔai̯] (“Peoples’-Markings”) symbolised one’s tribe, mother, and region. Due to the Xiyeru’s tendency to travel far from their home village on foot or by boat, it was important that these tattoos relate individually to one’s home village, as it was seen as incredibly rude to one's ancestors to forget one's home. Not only did these tattoos tell others where a person was from and express a sense of pride for their home village, but they also acted to remind the person of their home, so they would never become too homesick during travels.