Tattoos: The art that exhibits Philippine culture and history

MANILA, Philippines — As an alternative of educating concerning the historic significance of marking one’s pores and skin with indelible patterns or designs, a self-learning module – supposedly accredited by the Division of Schooling (DepEd) – lately raised a disturbance on social media when it unconscionably related tattoos with criminals.

Within the module, the query, “Ang tattoo ay simbolo ng…” (A tattoo symbolizes…), was posed and customers are given a a number of set of attainable solutions to select from. Notably, nevertheless, at least Broadway star Lea Salonga known as out the module’s “key reply” to the query: “A. pagiging kriminal (being a prison).”

She wasn’t having any of it and slammed the module by way of Fb, even asking: “What kind of BS is this?”

Age-old custom

Tattoos had been a historic a part of the tribal tradition within the Philippines. Though in current instances, it was improperly linked with criminals.

In a 2018 interview by ABS-CBN Information, social anthropologist and Director of Museo Kordilyera Analyn Salvador-Amores mentioned tattoos had been criminalized and “related to deviant conduct” within the 90s.

Traditionally, nevertheless, tattoos maintain crucial symbols, particularly in lots of ethnic teams.

In accordance with a column by Filipino historian Ambeth Ocampo, the earliest file of Philippine tattoo artwork may be seen within the Boxer Codex – a Spanish manuscript written in 1950.

The tattoo can also be identified for its normal time period known as “Batok.” However as a consequence of its widespread observe, it was additionally translated into varied Cordilleran languages.

In an article revealed in 2017, Amores mentioned that tattooing was known as whatok in Butbut Kalinga; batók in Kalinga; fatek in Bontok; bátok in Ifugao; bátak in Kankey; and bátek in Ilocano, Ibaloy, Lepanto and Sagada Igorots.

Greater than a physique ornament

Throughout pre-colonial and early Spanish colonial intervals, tattoos had been interpreted as greater than only a physique ornament. Relying on the area, tattoos had been seen as an indication of bravery, an emblem of social standing, and a ceremony of passage.

Visayan warriors who had been coated with tattoos had been known as Pintados. Every tattoo etched on the fighters’ our bodies, in accordance with Ocampo, symbolizes social class and bravado.

Within the highlands of Northern Luzon, pagbabatuk or the method of tattooing was primarily executed on hunters and warriors. For the ethnic teams in Bontoc, Ifugao, and Kalinga, tattoos had been like medals. It represents the variety of enemies they’ve killed.

For the Kalinga males, their physique markings correspond to the respect and privileges they get. It was additionally identified to safeguard warriors throughout fierce fights.

In distinction to how tattoos had been described within the self-learning module, the artwork of tattoo embodies an necessary chunk of the Philippine tradition and historical past.

“Batok is an inscription of tradition on the physique that may give attention to faith, politics, warfare, and rituals. They’re additionally seen as a repository of saved recollections, experiences, and knowledge. Tattoos file the biography of an individual in addition to the advanced custom of the neighborhood. It’s a signifier of collective ethnic identification,” mentioned Amores.

KGA