Artist Club
The Filipino Art of Tattoo
(by http://www.destroy-all-monsters.com/tatt  10/15/2003)

Article by: Musashi

"It seems that our own world is condemned to mass-produced cosmetics, wigs, and other beauty aids, and that our body decoration will never again be dictated to by social needs, aesthetic ideals or religious beliefs, but by Fashion."

- Robert Brain, The Decorated Body


A Kalinga girl with tribal tattoos, circa 1930.
I've got two tattoos. I thought long and hard before I got either of them, and I don't regret it a bit; I can't think of anything else you can spend $200 on and keep for the rest of your life. Still, they are mostly fashion statements masquerading as high symbolism. I didn't have to kill a rival tribesman or march 300 miles through a rainforest to earn mine. But in some places and times in the world, this was exactly what one would have to do to earn a little skin ink. The Philippines is one of those places.

The history of tattooing in the Philippines goes back nearly as far as the history of the country itself. There are literally hundreds of ethnic groups in the Philippine island chain, each of which has their own language, tradition, and history.

Back in the day, and to tell the truth it's probably still like this in some remote areas of the Philippines, there were no electric tattoo guns available to lay down tattoo designs. I know, hard to believe. Much like Borneo and other parts of Micronesia and Polynesia, tattoos were applied by a sharpened bird bone or a kind of 'comb' made of sea shells. A hammer or mallet was used to strike these crude implements repeatedly and drive the natural ink (usually made of pine and sugarcane juice) under the recipient's skin. Infection rates were rather high, and in cases where the tattoos covered large areas of the body, it was not uncommon to die while recovering from such extreme tattooing sessions. In some cases, the process damaged internal organs, as the implements were predictably imprecise.

Still, most everyone who underwent the painful procedure considered it an honor, and worth the risk to life and limb. In many cases, the tattoos were badges of honor, to be handed out after a brave deed or at reaching a significant stage of life.

Kalinga tribesmanm Tulgao, Philippines, 1948.
Among those tribes in the Philippines who practiced tattooing, the most well known are the Kalinga tribes of Northern Luzon. In days past, the Kalinga were known as voracious headhunters and cannibals, who would carry out long standing vendettas against rival tribes. Kalinga custom dictated that before a young Kalinga could become a full-fledged warrior, he had to taste the blood of his first victim. Not only did this cement his status as a Kalinga warrior, it also granted him a long lifespan. Great celebrations were held after a successful headhunting expedition, and those who passed their trials of manhood received tribal tattoos to mark the occasion. Women were not left out of the deal, either. In many cases, Filipino women were considered unwanted, or unattractive unless they received elaborate tribal tattoos. Significant life events, such as menstruation or childbirth, were also marked with a tattoo.

Kalinga woman with tribal tattooing, and a blunt.
It's pretty amazing, but these customs perpetuated well into the 20th century. As the Philippines entered World War II, the Philippines became occupied by various nations. The Japanese and Americans built airstrips all across the Philippine countryside. The natives living in those areas, not realizing exactly what the planes were, but subsisting to a great deal on the supplies the foreigners brought into the country, began to regard them as supernatural. After the war, many Filipino tribes kept the runways clear and built false aircraft made of grass and timber, hoping to lure the silver birds back so they might receive more of their supplies. In addition, many tribesmen were observed to have tattooed themselves with American aircraft symbols and Japanese rising sun imagery. In the 1930's and 1940's, the famous Filipino photographer Eduardo Masferre (1909 - 1995) documented the daily lives of many of Luzon's indigenous people. The images he captured are an amazing glimpse into the lives and vanishing customs of these people.

Babayin tattoo, California.
Today, many second generation Filipino-Americans are re-discovering their heritage and adorning their bodies with images to bring them closer to their roots. A new trend among Fil-Am youth is to receive Baybayin (or Alibata as it is more well known) tattoos. Baybayin is a curving script which was the original written form of Tagalog before the Spanish occupied the Philippines. Although primarily confined to the West Coast, Baybayin tattoos are becoming quite popular among Filipino-Americans across the country.

The Philippines lays a small, though important claim to the wide field of Tattoo. As the Filipino diaspora continues, tattoos serve as a wonderful method of linking the sons and daughters of Filipino immigrants to their culture, and to their past.



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