Anthropologist He Ting-jui's survey points out that the Atayal thought that if they did not do this, their ancestors 'spirits would bring down punishment upon them, and that people would often get sick or die within their village. If a man married an untattooed woman, she would not only be unable to bear children, the whole family would face catastrophe.
人類學者何廷瑞的調查研究就指出，泰雅族人認為不文面，祖靈會降懲罰，社內常會有人病亡，與無文面的女子結婚，不但不能生育，整個家族都會遭受災禍。