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Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

The batek (tribal tattoos) are a lost art in Kalinga which the younger generation don’t get anymore. Tattoos are now associated with criminals and gangs (see my series about the gang tattoos here).

Perhaps a deeper explanation why the Kalingas today do not persist in getting tattoos is the belief that the batek is hard-earned and reserved primarily for the “rightful persons”. These are the respected village elders, oftentimes revered warriors of the past and who participated in head taking. By the time the present generation were born, head taking had long been out of practice. Getting a tattoo without participating in the actual process of headhunting can be considered as an insult to their elders.

Tattooing has disappeared following the gradual demise of headhunting and head taking practices, along with transmission of new values to the present generation.

I was not able to meet any Kalinga men with tribal tattoos due to the fact that most of those men are already dead or very old. The charming ladies in my pictures are the only remaining living testimony of a very rich but dying tradition of traditional tattoos.

The whole group of Kalinga ladies.

Once again a word of thank for their kindness, patience and hospitality. Maraming salamat po.

Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

The tattoos share geometric visual designs with the Ilubo baag (loincloth for men) and the kain (skirt for women). It will be observed that batek creates an illusion of an upper garment. The sinokray tattoo of the women, translates to “the sleeves of the shirt” which is an extension of the women’s kain. The tattoos were considered as cheap and inexpensive garment as early as the 1920s. Many of the women recall that, during important occasions such as cañaos (feasts), their tattoos are their best “costumes.”

(Source: "Batek: Traditional Tattoos and Identities in Contemporary Kalinga, North Luzon Philippines" by Analyn Ikin V. Salvador-Amores)

Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

Once the batek is placed on the skin, an individual has to undergo a process of healing and recovery. The pain is both physical and psychological, and may explain why some women walk away from the process. For instance, when natives die of natural causes, the practice of putting the dead in a “chair,” called sangidel, results in the swelling of their arms. The swelling of the arms is very similar to what occurs during the tattoo process. This “probably” creates a psychological impact that made them walk away from the painful process. The swelling of the arms usually take about two weeks to subside after the tattooing process, and even if the swollen arms are given some time to rest and heal, work never ceases. Moreover, newly tattooed women still have to tend to their household chores and farming. At this stage, there are taboos in tattooing: they are not allowed to eat food that can cause itchiness and irritation to the wounds, i.e., sili,gabi, and salt. Neither do they apply anything to heal the wound. The wound dries after two weeks to one month and the newly tattooed bathe in the river, and wash their wounds so the dead skin peels off. Depending on how the wounds heal, coconut oil, or, sometimes, pig fat is applied on the skin so as to keep it dry and the tattoos visible. This practice of applying coconut oil on tattooed skin is still performed by old men and women. The beautiful tattoos become clear and black. Oil applied to the skin enhances the wearer’s healthy appearance and vivacity.

Another psychological pain is the pressure from the parents, society and their male counterparts. Young women with tattoos are prepared for the adumba, the sign that a woman is ready to marry and give birth to a child. A woman who refuses to be tattooed is said to be barren.

When a tattoo is placed on the skin, there is no way to remove it because the ink is placed deep beneath the skin’s outer layer. There are no other reasons why some women do not finish their tattoos. Some observed that when one gets old and the skin becomes wrinkled, especially the wrists, the skin looks very dark and ugly. 

(Source: "Batek: Traditional Tattoos and Identities in Contemporary Kalinga, North Luzon Philippines" by Analyn Ikin V. Salvador-Amores)

Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

The elaborateness of the body tattoos expresses an aesthetic component of batek. More importantly, it articulates ambaru, the Ilubo concept of beauty. Young men or women become ambaru (beautiful) when their bodies are tattooed. Tattoos make the males mangkusdor (handsome and strong) and the females, abumaru (beautiful). The bluish-black tattoo pattern against the brown skin incited fear among people of other villages, and make women attractive. The dinuras, or people without tattoos are regarded as weak beings, and considered as a bad omen for the community.

(Source: "Batek: Traditional Tattoos and Identities in Contemporary Kalinga, North Luzon Philippines" by Analyn Ikin V. Salvador-Amores)

Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

The tattoos for women indicate initiation into adulthood and full participation in the social life of the group. Tattoos signify acceptance, a sense of belonging, and identity. Daughters of the kadangyan (the rich) members of the community are obliged to have their tattoos when they reach puberty. The pressure of being labeled “different” from the rest of the community is a cause of shame. Batek also indicates permanent differentiation from peers. In different villages, there are stories of how the young girls without tattoos get teased by the young men. The young men would make fun of girls by spitting on their hands, and rubbing these on the girl’s arms. This was probably taken as a sign that the girls were entering a stage of maturity and, as such, obliged to accept their social functions such as getting tattoos or preparing for marriage.

(Source: "Batek: Traditional Tattoos and Identities in Contemporary Kalinga, North Luzon Philippines" by Analyn Ikin V. Salvador-Amores)

Kalinga /Kalinga Tattoos (Batek).

In 16th century culture and society, tattooing was already a common practice among the major warrior groups in the Cordillera, i.e., the Bontoc, the Ifugao and the Kalinga. At the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, headhunting and tattooing were being practised more extensively than at the time of the coming of the Americans. 

Tattoos were symbols of male valor: these were applied only after a man had performed in battle with fitting courage. Like modern military decorations, warriors accumulated tattoos with each act of bravery. Until today, tattooing and tattoo designs in the Cordilleras are best understood within the context of headhunting and of the mai’ngor (warriors). Headhunting was the only known reason for tattooing and, to this day, no one knows exactly what those tattoos signify.

© Ed Vallance

© Dave Leprozo Jr.

Tattooing starts at the back of the hand and the wrists. The first kill is denoted with stripe patterns which appear like tie band called gulot, or pinupungol. The term munggolot refers to the chief of the headhunting raid and literally means the “cutter of the head”, so when the gulot tattoo is earned, this means that the person has killed someone or has become a “headtaker.” Those who have killed two individuals have tattoo patterns on their hands. Warriors who have killed ten or more are the individuals who are permitted to wear the chest tattoos and other elaborate insignias (like the head axe) at the side of their stomach, back, thighs and legs and even the cheeks to connote unrivalled bravery of a warrior in a certain village. Tattooing increases in proportion to the number of heads or participation in headhunting forays. 

The black tattoo pattern against the brown skin made warriors look fearsome to the other members of other tribes, and appear attractive to women. Headhunters inspired fear in other people, especially those not closely related to them, because the tattoos indicated that they had killed. At the same time, tattoos also inspired confidence in their kinsmen and village mates because headhunters were chief protectors. A settlement with one or more renowned headhunters made people safe from invasion, and their relatives could also feel confident in case of grave local disputes.

(Source: "Batek: Traditional Tattoos and Identities in Contemporary Kalinga, North Luzon Philippines" by Analyn Ikin V. Salvador-Amores)

Kalinga / Kalinga Tattoos.

Tattooing used to be an important practice of the indigenous peoples in the mountain hinterlands of Cordillera, among them, the Ibalois, the Kankanaeys, and the Kalanguyas. But tattooing—batek (Kalinga), fatek (Bontoc), or chaklag (Ifugao)—is now a lost art even among the peoples who pioneered it in the country.

 

The designs of the tattoos take different forms and each design has different interpretations and meanings. The designs can be about nature (e.g., mountains, rivers, trees); animals (e.g., lizards, snakes, centipedes); geometric designs (eg., triangles, curves, lines, diamonds, squares); and celestial objects (e.g. moon, star).

 

According to literature, the design and amount of tattoo a man wore is directly proportional to his success and rank as warrior. Among the Bontoc Igorots, the chaklag design indicated that the man wearing it had killed an enemy. Among the Kalingas, successful warriors (maingor) wore striped design at the back of their hands and wrists to signify their first kill.

 

More successful warriors wore more elaborate designs, comprising of khaman (head-axes), ufug (centipede scales) and bodies of gayaman (centipede), which were believed to be spiritually-charged symbols. The most successful warriors wore centipede designs on their cheeks. The warrior of the highest rank had anthropomorph tattooed just above his navel and small crosses adorning his face.

 

The tattoos on the women were primarily for aesthetic beauty. Generally called fattong, meaning, “to put on”, the body tattoos on the women served as permanent upper garment, the design of which often reflected their relationship with their environment.

(Source: The Manila Times – Tattooed in the Past by Sherma E. Benosa)

In the above pictures you can see Mrs. Natividad B. Sugguiyao, Provincial Director of the National Commission on Indigenous People explaining her tattoos to me. Mrs. Sugguiyao is very proud of her Kalinga heritage and decided a few years ago to have the traditional Kalinga tattoos tattooed on her body.