But then in 1919, a terrible drought and flu epidemic struck the mountains of Taiwan, claiming many lives. Shaken, Atayal tribesmen thought the spirits of their ancestors were punishing them for not getting tattooed. And so some tribes took up the practice again. A similar return to tattooing took place after the Wushe incident.
此後，只在西元一九一九年，因台灣山地發生嚴重的乾旱和流行感冒，死傷者眾，而動搖了部分泰雅族人的心理，認為是不再文面後，祖靈憤怒所施的處罰，遂有部分部落恢復施術文面。