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Traditional Filipino Tattooing Practices

Tattooing has a long history in many ancient civilizations and indigenous groups in the Philippines. Traditional tattooing practices involved marking the skin with pigment from plant dyes using sharp tools like thorns. Tattoos had important meanings and signified things like masculinity, protection from spirits, or one's occupation. While traditional tattooing has declined, some indigenous communities still practice it using techniques similar to groups in the Cordillera region, where thorns are used to puncture the skin and rub in soot to form designs. Tattooing also holds cultural significance for social acceptance and in rituals. Modern tattooing can be performed either traditionally or using electric tattoo machines.

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145 views3 pages

Traditional Filipino Tattooing Practices

Tattooing has a long history in many ancient civilizations and indigenous groups in the Philippines. Traditional tattooing practices involved marking the skin with pigment from plant dyes using sharp tools like thorns. Tattoos had important meanings and signified things like masculinity, protection from spirits, or one's occupation. While traditional tattooing has declined, some indigenous communities still practice it using techniques similar to groups in the Cordillera region, where thorns are used to puncture the skin and rub in soot to form designs. Tattooing also holds cultural significance for social acceptance and in rituals. Modern tattooing can be performed either traditionally or using electric tattoo machines.

Uploaded by

Zoom Gale gale
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

TATTOO ART

 Tattooing is a process of marking one’s skin permanently with ink or pigment made of
plant dyes applied by sharp instruments like needles or thorns
 These inking implements pierce the fleshy membrane to create designs and patterns that
may signify various meanings and symbols to the wearer or to the society to which he or
she belongs.
 The term tattoo is derived from a Polynesian noun: ta-tau of the Samoan, and ta-tu from
the Marquesan, which means to mark the skin with pigment.
 Traditional practice of tattooing has much earlier roots in ancient civilizations as
evidenced in archeological finds, which include tattooing tools, implements, and
preserved mummies with markings on their skin.
 Tattoos had several functions and meanings orally relayed to generations of people
during ancient times and even up to the current period.

Depiction of the Visayan pintados, ca 1590 (Boxer Codex, The Lilly Library Digital Collections)
 The practice of tattooing in the Philippines predates the writings of the Spanish
chroniclers who encountered and witnessed firsthand the culture and society of
the Pintados (Painted Ones) of the Visayan Islands during their initial contact in the mid-
16th century.
 The Boxer Codex, 1590, includes the image of the Pintados of the “Bissayas” (Visayas).
The bodies of the two figures are covered by tattoos from their heels to their faces. The
male’s tattoos are displayed frontally while the female’s tattoos are shown from the back.
The elaborate tattoo designs feature geometric shapes contouring to the shape of the
wearer and showing similarities with indigenous textile motifs.

 This tattooing tradition among the Visayans is hardly practiced anymore, having been
replaced during and after the Spanish period by anting-anting or amulet tattoo with
Christian icons as popular motifs.
 Among the revolutionaries, tattoos featured orasyon (prayer) with esoteric symbols on
arms and other parts of the body. While orasyon, in its widest sense, refers to any prayer
of the Roman Catholic Church, in folk oral tradition it also refers to incomprehensible
words in pig Latin believed to possess magic powers that can accomplish positive or
negative effects when uttered or written down on paper or cloth, or tattooed on the body.
 The orasyon tattoo is received as part of the initiation rites among the different cults in
the Visayas and Mindanao, such as the Amahan-Inahan cult, the anti-communist Alsa
Masa, or the Philippine Benevolent Missionary Association.
 Tattoos are of different kinds
o There are panlalaki tattoos worn exclusively by men because they transmit manly
powers,
o the pangontra, which provide protection against evil spirits.
 The purpose of the tattoo may be related to the wearer’s occupation; thus tattoos for
farmers safeguard them against the evil spirits of fields or forests, as well as snakes,
scorpions, and bats.
 Traces of the traditional tattooing, however, can still be seen among the indigenous
groups in the Philippines.
 Various local words that denote a traditional tattooing practice are found among several
indigenous groups in the country.
o Batuk (Visaya), patik or fatek (Bontok), batek, batok, whatok (Kalinga),
and hakang (Tboli).
 The tattooing process of the Pintados is almost similar to the practice among the people
in the Cordillera region.
 Sharp thorns from the lubfan tree are used as needles to prick the skin.
 Three to five pieces of thorns are prepared; and as they puncture the skin, lines and
geometric shapes are formed using black soot pressed onto the fresh wound
 Traditional practice of tattooing is still being performed by a manwhatok (tattoo
practitioner) using gisi (stick with a thorn) as the main tattoo instrument used via a
continuous hand tapping on the skin.
 Apo Whang-Od of Buscalan is a manwhatok or mambabatok, reputedly the last holder
of traditional knowledge in batok tattooing previously associated with the outlawed
practice of head-hunting.

 Labid refers to the thick lines and wavy lines that can denote a snake. 
 Ablay is a tattoo on the shoulder.
 Dubdub refers to one on the chest going upward to the neck. 
 Bangut or langi is the term used for a tattoo on the face. 
 Hinawak refers to a tattoo from waist down (Scott 1994).

 In Ifugao, the tattoo motifs are kinabu or dog usually placed on the chest, the tinagu or
man, and the ginawang and ginayaman or centipedes.

 Men and women in the region, particularly in Kalinga, Kankaney, Ibaloy, and Ifugao,


have their bodies inked with figurative designs of snakes, centipedes, frogs, rice grains,
fern plants, interspersed with geometric motifs of zigzag lines and shapes, which reflect
their landscape covered with mountains, rivers, and rice paddies.
 In Bontok, women have their arms tattooed for social acceptance.

 These are applied on the arms since these are the most visible and exposed body parts
when women perform their traditional dance during ritual celebrations, such as courting.
It is believed that men would not court them if their arms were not tattooed

A contestant with his tattoos at the 2016 Dutdutan Tattoo Festival (Photo from Dutdutan Tattoo Convention)

 In contemporary urban areas, tattooing is performed using either traditional or manual


methods or with the aid of a machine.
 These are used to slightly puncture the skin and embed the ink in the wound.
 Tattooing is known as a prisoner art form with its own repertoire of motifs and designs.
 The most common or popular images in prisoners’ tattoos are portraits or names of wife
or girlfriend, children, and best friends; dragons; flowers and hearts; snakes; eagles; and
religious icons.
 Machine-rendered tattoos are the most commonly used method in contemporary
tattooing.
 Tattoo designs are catalogued according to themes and motifs.
 Linear or outline rendering is used to define the shape and form of the tattoo.
 This machine-operated tattooing apparatus can create various images with numerous
styles and design treatments as preferred by either the clients and/or the artists.

Common questions

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Both the Cordillera region and the Visayan Pintados cultures used tattoos for social and protective purposes, employing similar techniques. In the Cordillera, tattooing is performed with sharp thorns from the lubfan tree as needles and soot as pigment . Tattoos in this region often signify identity and bravery, similar to the Visayan Pintados where tattoos were markers of social status and bravery . Both regions valued elaborate geometric designs, though the Cordillera also featured motifs inspired by their natural landscapes, such as snakes and centipedes .

Contemporary urban tattooing in the Philippines primarily employs machine-rendered methods, allowing for intricate and diverse designs, which contrasts starkly with the traditional hand-tapping techniques using thorns and natural pigments . While modern technological advances have popularized tattoos among the urban youth, broadening their acceptance across various societal strata, they lack the historical depth and communal bonding associated with traditional practices, often perceived as a lifestyle choice rather than a cultural or spiritual ritual .

Technological advances in tattooing, such as machine-rendered tattoos, have transformed the practice, allowing for a wider array of designs and styles including detailed portraits and complex motifs . However, this has led to a dilution of cultural authenticity as traditional practices, like hand-tapped tattoos, become less common. While the convenience and precision of modern techniques appeal to a broader audience, they threaten to erode the traditional symbolism and communal aspects embedded in the practice of tattooing in the Philippines .

Batok tattoos in Kalinga serve as a representation of one's journey, bravery, and social status. The practice involves using a thorny stick (gisi) for tattooing, a method passed down through generations by manwhatok or mambabatok such as Apo Whang-Od . Today, these tattoos are revered as symbols of cultural heritage and personal endurance, though they also face challenges from modern tattooing practices and societal changes, leading to a decreased prevalence of the traditional approach .

Traditional tattoos among the Visayan Pintados served various symbolic purposes, including marking social status, bravery, and tribal affiliation. These tattoos ranged from geometric shapes to intricate designs that resemble indigenous textile motifs . Over time, due to the influence of the Spanish colonization, the practice evolved to include Christian motifs in tattoos used as anting-anting (amulets) and included orasyon (prayers) associated with different cults . The initial roles of tattoos as markers of bravery and social status diminished with these changes.

In Bontok, tattoos on women's arms are culturally significant for social acceptance, particularly as these marks enhance their visibility during traditional dances in rituals, which serve as a form of courtship . The practice underscores traditional gender roles where women are expected to partake in certain community activities, and the tattoos help affirm their cultural identity and desirability within the community .

Post-colonial Philippine tattoos as 'anting-anting' incorporated Christian symbols and orasyon, reflecting syncretism between indigenous belief systems and Christianity imposed during Spanish colonization . These tattoos were believed to offer protection and magical powers through motifs embedded with religious and mystical elements. Tattoos depicting orasyon were often used by revolutionary figures and cult members as part of initiation rites, signifying a deep fusion of culture and spiritual belief .

Ifugao tattoo motifs reflect their environmental and cultural landscape by incorporating elements such as snakes, centipedes, and rice grains, which symbolize strength, perseverance, and sustenance, mirroring their mountainous terrain and agrarian lifestyle . These motifs combine with geometric designs to form tattoos that narrate both personal and community stories rooted in the region’s rich natural environment .

Prisoner tattoos have developed a distinct cultural identity characterized by a repertoire of personal and symbolic images such as portraits, family names, and spiritual icons . Unlike traditional tattoo practices rooted in communal and spiritual narratives, prisoner tattoos serve as personal expressions and markers of identity within the confines of prison life. They reflect individual stories, affiliations, and sometimes a form of resistance or coping mechanism against institutional control .

In Kalinga, tattoos symbolize status, bravery, and rites of passage, reflecting a warrior society with deep communal ties . The intricate tattoos represent strength and resilience rooted in historical traditions of head-hunting. For the Ifugao, tattoos reflect their environment and cultural identity, with motifs like centipedes and rice paddies demonstrating their agrarian lifestyle and spiritual beliefs linked to nature . These roles illustrate the importance of tattoos as markers of personal identity and communal history, maintained through traditional practices and storytelling.

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