TATTOO: Igorots in the Philippines by Darvin S.

Tattooed Igorot man and woman having a light moment. (c)1959.

The Igorot people inhibit the mountainous area of the northern Philippines, a region known as the Cordillera . They have a rich tradition of having beautiful, intricate anthropomorphic and geometric tattoos. Both women and men have these tattoos, primarily on the arms and chest region. They were considered a serious religious experience while enduring hours of pain to attain the badge of honor. Tattooing was also considered a sign of rank and power in the Igorot community. These tattoos could only be earned by accomplishing a specific task, or as a rite of passage.

Men had tattoos on their chests and heads primarily as signs of their strength as warriors. Tattoos that were specific to women of the tribe depict detailed lines on their arms and wrists, or full chest and arm tattoos, which were indicative of the mountain tribes and seen more as marks of beauty. It is customary for boys under 10 years of age to be tattooed. Their first tattoos are usually a small, half-inch cross on the cheek or perhaps a line or small cross on the nose region.

The styles vary depending on the region and tribe that the person came from. The Igorot are a combination of different tribes depending on actual geographical location in the Philippines. So the name Igorot is more of a collective term used to describe six different ethnic groups: the Apayao, Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Kalinga, and the Kankanaey.

Tattoos worn by the Bontoc Igorot men symbolized the number of human heads taken during a headhunting raid.

The chaklag tattoo, 

usually a design going upward from each nipple, and curving outward onto the shoulder and region of the upper arms, symbolizes the number of fresh trophy heads taken during inter-tribal raids and battles.

The Kalinga Igorot would tattoo their warriors on the back of the hands and wrist after their first kill. The designs and placement would get more elaborate depending on the number of trophy heads they acquired. An Igorot warrior would not be permitted to get married until he took his first trophy head.

Most tattoos would be accompanied by some sort of ceremony depending on the accomplishment which would effectively activate its spiritual and magical powers. Every tribe had an assigned tattoo artist who perfected his craft after every tattoo administered. Tattooing handles and needles were usually made from wood and animal horn. The tattoo was applied by tapping the needle which was attached to a wood handle with a wooden mallet. The tattoo ink was a mixture of tree resin and soot which was rubbed into the wound as the tattoo was applied. The finished tattoo would be dull and blackish-blue in color, sometimes having a green color cast. In some cases the area would become infected. This method of tattoo is very common amongst most primitive tribes.

While many tattoos were for a certain accomplishment such as a fresh head taken, or possibly attaining the highest rank of chief, some tattoos were given for medicinal reasons as well. A small tattoo would be placed on the exact spot of illness such as a tumor or wounded area for therapeutic healing. Medicinal tattoos have been a practice that spans back thousands of years.

- Darvin S.

References:

American Geographical Society Library, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries