Saya Chein — Hand Poke A Burmese tattooist named in passing in 1882 — the only working *saya* of the period this site can put a name to. nanobotco.github.io/hand-poke/person/saya-chein/ · 19-Sep-2026 · 51K
Khem sak — Hand Poke The sak yant needle: a long steel or brass shaft, pushed with one hand and steered with the other. nanobotco.github.io/hand-poke/tool/khem-sak/ · 19-Sep-2026 · 52K
The places — Hand Poke Villages, temples, quarters and museums where the work is done or the record is kept. nanobotco.github.io/hand-poke/places/ · 19-Sep-2026 · 51K
Kengtung — Hand Poke The eastern Shan town that sits in the middle of the leg-tattoo zone, and in the middle of the Tai world the zone is drawn on. nanobotco.github.io/hand-poke/place/kengtung/ · 19-Sep-2026 · 51K
Khan tang — Hand Poke The fee, set by the master, presented in a bowl: flowers, candles, incense, cloth, coins, and whatever else that master's line asks for. nanobotco.github.io/hand-poke/rite/khan-tang/ · 19-Sep-2026 · 52K
Sak kha lai — Hand Poke The Lanna leg tattoo: waist to knee, sometimes to the ankle, dense enough that the murals paint it as a pair of black trousers. nanobotco.github.io/hand-poke/tradition/sak-kha-lai/ · 19-Sep-2026 · 58K
The people — Hand Poke Practitioners, and the outsiders who wrote the tradition down — which is not the same list. nanobotco.github.io/hand-poke/people/ · 19-Sep-2026 · 52K