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    The Legend of The Kalinga Tribal Tattoos: By: Ejay D. Villaver

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    Ejay Villaver
    The Kalinga tribe in the Philippines is known for their unique traditional tattoos. In the past, tattoos held deep cultural meanings and were only given to men after war victories as a symbol of honor. Traditionally, tattoos featured designs inspired by nature like snakes or centipedes. While tattoos are no longer restricted to tradition, one remarkable elder artist, Whang-od, still performs the traditional hand-tapping technique using charcoal, needles, and bamboo.

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    The Legend of The Kalinga Tribal Tattoos: By: Ejay D. Villaver

    Uploaded by

    Ejay Villaver
    79 views3 pages
    The Kalinga tribe in the Philippines is known for their unique traditional tattoos. In the past, tattoos held deep cultural meanings and were only given to men after war victories as a symbol of honor. Traditionally, tattoos featured designs inspired by nature like snakes or centipedes. While tattoos are no longer restricted to tradition, one remarkable elder artist, Whang-od, still performs the traditional hand-tapping technique using charcoal, needles, and bamboo.

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    The Kalinga tribe in the Philippines is known for their unique traditional tattoos. In the past, tattoos held deep cultural meanings and were only given to men after war victories as a symbol of honor. Traditionally, tattoos featured designs inspired by nature like snakes or centipedes. While tattoos are no longer restricted to tradition, one remarkable elder artist, Whang-od, still performs the traditional hand-tapping technique using charcoal, needles, and bamboo.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    79 views3 pages

    The Legend of The Kalinga Tribal Tattoos: By: Ejay D. Villaver

    Uploaded by

    Ejay Villaver
    The Kalinga tribe in the Philippines is known for their unique traditional tattoos. In the past, tattoos held deep cultural meanings and were only given to men after war victories as a symbol of honor. Traditionally, tattoos featured designs inspired by nature like snakes or centipedes. While tattoos are no longer restricted to tradition, one remarkable elder artist, Whang-od, still performs the traditional hand-tapping technique using charcoal, needles, and bamboo.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    The Legend of

    the Kalinga Tribal Tattoos


    by: Ejay D. Villaver
    1,000 meters up in the mountain range of Northern Luzon in the
    Philippines, situated within the Cordillera Administrative
    Region, lies the small village of Busculan Kalinga. Known for its
    mysterious tribe in the Cordillera valley and their extremely
    unique type of skin art.

    Despite of her advance age, Whang-od is still a remarkable tattoo


    artist who draws attention from tourist and tattoo lovers from
    all over the world.

    Today, Kalinga tattoos are no longer made strictly according to


    their tradition, there are no fixed designs and clients are free
    to choose their own designs and location on their body.

    However, long time ago, these tattoos were deep in meaning and
    culture. In the past tattoos were only given after war and
    victory. The Kalinga People - living in a beautiful area of rice
    terraces and the white water rapids of the Chico River - are
    known for their strong sense of tribal awareness and were never
    subdued by Spanish colonizers in their more than 300-year reign
    in the Philippines. The history of the Kalinga tribal tattoos is
    related to faith and the influence of natural environment in this
    region. According to Wang Od, it’s a Kalinga custom to wear ink
    on their bodies, and has been for generations.

    Traditionally the Kalinga get their tattooed on their arms,


    chest, the upper back, and the upper thighs.

    Most of the tattoo designs are formed by simple lines which have
    been inspired by nature.

    The arms are often marked with snake scales which symbolize the
    protection of one’s life and security.

    The centipede is believed to be a powerful spiritual guide and a


    friend of the warrior.

    In addition to these naturally inspired patterns other Kalinga


    designs feature wavy line motifs representing stairs or steps.

    The upper chest area is traditionally tattooed with the type of


    patterns found on woven blankets and skirts, mixed with
    silhouette of mountains.
    Before, people from Kalinga province were head hunters. Some
    tribes want to get more land thus creating tribal war.

    In the past, when Kalinga Women have gone through puberty, they
    marked themselves with tattoos to cover their unclothed bodies
    and to symbolize feminine beauty, wealth stature and fortitude.

    For the men however, Men have to earn their tattoo, by returning
    home with their enemies head. Thus tattoo for men is like honor
    or a status symbol that they are a warrior.

    This victory is celebrated by butchering a pig and the Kalinga


    dance: where men dance with a gong and the ladies dance like
    eagle while wearing their traditional clothes “tapis.”

    Wang Od’s hand tapping kit is comprised of a coconut bowl to mix


    the pigment of charcoal and water, a citrus thorn needle attached
    to a small bamboo stick, and another short stick which is used to
    tap the thorn into the skin.

     https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/meet-
    apo-whang-od-the-last-hand-poke-tattoo-artist-in-the-
    philippines/
     http://followyouroad.com/kalinga-tattoo/
     https://www.worldaffairs.org/component/events/event/1139#.X2
    WSx2gzbIV

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