Batek: Traditional Tattoos and Identities in
Contemporary Kalinga, North Luzon Philippines
by Analyn Ikin V. Salvador-Amores



Introduction (Yee)
Traditional tattooing was already widespread in the early 16th century.
o Why do they tattoo their body?
o How are they made?
o What do the designs stand for?
During the tattoo session, the patterns were made, dipped in ink and
needles were used to pierce the skin.
The tapping of the pat-ik (stick) to the gisi (tattoo instrument) were
heard and the first lines appeared.
Background of the Study (Arante)
HISTORY
 Early 16th century
o Traditional tattooing is widespread in the Philippines, but very
little is known or written about the practice (Van Dinter 85).
o Tattooing was already a common practice among the major
warrior groups in the Cordillera – the Bontoc, the Ifugao, and
the Kalinga.
th
 Early 18 century
o Sources for the study of traditional tattoos in Northern Luzon
are very few and unrevealing.
o A few samples of the tattoos were written and documented by
the Spaniards about their function and symbolic meaning as
well as the practice and culture as a whole.
 Inadequate
 Make vague statements
 Reveal a distinctly ethnocentric deportment
 Headhunting and tattooing were being practiced more extensively
during the arrival of the Spaniards than at the time of the coming of
Americans (Krieger 89).
 Foreign Ethnographers: The idea that tattooing was done primarily and
solely in connection with the practice of headhunting.
TATTOOS
 These were symbols of male valour.
 These were applied only after a man had performed in battle with fitting
courage.










1|Adaro, Arante, Evardone, Gorospe, Yee
Warriors accumulated tattoos with each act of bravery (Scott 20; De
Raedt 95-100).
Headhunting was the only known reason for tattooing and, no one
knows exactly what tattoos signify.
Roces 153:
o Until today, tattooing and tattoo designs in the Cordilleras are
best understood within the context of headhunting and of the
mai’ngor (warriors).
Oxford Dictionary of Critical Terms:
o Tatow:
 1st appeared in Captain Cook’s written accounts in 1st
Voyage in Tahiti Island (1769)
 Denotes the markings found on the skin of Polynesians
– Tahiti, Samoan, and Tongan.
 “both sexes paint their bodies; this is done by
inlaying the colour of black under their skin in
such a manner that it becomes indelible”
 characterized by a “painful operation to form
permanent marks or designs found on the skin by
puncturing it and inserting a pigment or pigments”.
o Tatu, Tatau, and Tataou
 other variations of Tattow
 “to strike or to stamp”
Batuk – is the general term for tattoos in the Philippines.
Patik – means the marking of snakes and lizards or any design printed or
stamped on (Scott 20).
Different groups in Northern Luzon
o batek in Kalinga
o fatek in Bontoc
o fatok in Benguet
 All were derived from the sound of the tapping of the
stick to the tattoo instrument which pierces the skin.
The word tek (tik) means “to bit slowly”.
This is differentiated from batek (battik) in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Batek (battik) in Indonesia and Malaysia
o refers to an intricate textile technique developed in the early
9th-10th century
o is a method of applying coloured designs to a cloth surface
o The process entails the use of wax to cover the designs not to be
dyed.
o When dyed, the parts covered by wax resist the dye.
BATEK
 is the Kalinga term for the traditional tattoos, or inscriptions found on
their skin.
 known for their symmetry and elaborate tattoo designs
 the largest number of surviving practitioners of the tradition from the
Bontoc, Tingguian, and Ibaloy in the Mountain Provinces.
 Batek in Kalinga
o It is characterized by the marking, decorating and designing on a
material permanently.
o It is done through the traditional method of hand-tapped
pricking, done by a manbatek (tattoo artist).
o The instruments are made from carabao horn (gisi), bent by fire
with lemon thorns or four needles (gambang) attached at the
tip.
o This study aims to provide insights into the roles and functions
of the tattoos, and explanations of how the tattoos are cultural
symbols of the intricate social and cultural relations of the
Illubo, Kalinga.
 Batek of the Ilubo
o one of the distinct groups in the Cordillera – the Ilubo of
Southern Kalinga
o The Ilubo are found in the most isolated and remotest area in
the province, where the village is enclosed by a long mountain
range
o The batek of the Ilubo is a visually powerful rendering of
symmetry and unity of designs.
o The Ilubo patterns are intially applied on the skin, using a piece
of wood carved with tattoo patterns (kammai) which had been
dipped in ink (merteka).
o The Ilubo patterns are intially applied on the skin, using a piece
of wood carved with tattoo patterns (kammai) which had been
dipped in ink (merteka).
o Tattooing is a lengthy and painful process.
o It takes a day to a week to finish a tattoo design.
o The healing process takes one to three months.
o Systematic Process of Paying the “manbatek”
 Tattooed Chest
 addongan bead = 1 carabao
 5 kinubar beads = 2 medium sized pigs
o





2|Adaro, Arante, Evardone, Gorospe, Yee
 a pair of baag (loincloth) and kain (wraparound
skirt)
 Tattoos on the lower and upper arm
 Silver coins
But the practice of tatttoing of Illubo, Kalinga “savage custom”
was successfully eliminated by the Spanish friars through
Christianity and baptism. Eventually, it was waned and forgotten
in the following century.
Toward an Understanding of Batek (Adaro)
The importance of rituals and their symbolism cannot begin, until one
recognizes that ritual is an attempt to create or maintain a particular
culture, a particular set of assumptions by which stages of rites of
passage are evident. These rites embody the bases for social relations;
they are visible expressions or ritual symbols which enable the people to
identify and know their society. At the same time, the people achieve the
total personhood through these regimens in their community (Salvador
20).
THEORY ON THE SYMBOLIC APPROACH TO CULTURE
O “if culture is symbolic, then it follows that it is used to create
and convey meanings since that it is used to create and convey
meanings since that is the purpose of symbols”
VICTOR TURNER’S COMMUNITAS
o Involved social integration with the power of symbols (public
rituals)
As a Kalinga passes from childhood, adulthood (igam) and old age
(baratang/baraker), his/her place in society changes.
o Ilubo tattooing practice periodic or incrementual ritualistic
performances to achieve the full status
Ritual plays the vital role of holding things together.
Permanent Markings on the Skin:
Why the Kalinga Tattoo Their Bodies (Gorospe)
TATTOOS IN THE RITES OF PASSAGE
Van Gennep’s Rites of Passage
• The term “rites de passage” was first used by Arnold van Gennep in his
book of that name (published in 1909).
• It describes two types of rites:
– Rites that accompany the passage of a person from one social
status to another in the course of his or her life
–
Rites that mark recognized points in the passage of time (new
year, new moon, solstice, or equinox)
Van Gennep’s Three Stages of the Rites of Passage
• Rites of Separation
– Ritual removal of an individual from society
• Funeral
• Rites of Transition
– Highlights the isolation/separation of the individual prior to
incorporation
• Initiation
• Rites of Incorporation
– Reunion of individual with society in his or her new status
• Advancement of a warrior’s status
BATEK IN THE RITES OF SEPARATION
• Childbirth (Umanak)
– First rite performed upon separation of child from the womb of
his/her mother
• Female Shamans (Mandadawak)
• Lin-Lingao
– X-marks found on the forehead, both sides of the cheeks, and
nose of a married/pregnant woman
• Alan-alan
– Spirits that dwell in the village
• Batek is a means to deceive malevolent spirits and impede their
machinations, and to foster he belief that the lin-lingao and other rites
are effective means of protection
• Gammid
– Traditional manner by which the grandparents recognize and
accept a grandchild.
• Adolescents (ages 10-15)
– Adolescents were taught how to kill
– Boys at this stage develop pride in warfare-related activities
BATEK AND RITES OF TRANSITION (YEE)
Igam
 initiation to manhood
 15-18 years old
 Means of establishing sexual identity and adult status
Lames ni wangwang
 Preparatory rite for the actual igam
 Going to the river to fish or to the forest to hunt
 Singing of dinayan song

3|Adaro, Arante, Evardone, Gorospe, Yee
Animals are said to be the substitutes for the head/s to be taken during
the actual headtaking.
Sipotan
 Jumping over an ardan (ladder) in the village entrance
 Physical expression of not leaving their soul or sanity in the enemy’s
world
 Like a point of passage and a boundary separating the individual from
the enemy world
Karaka
 Stripping off all the clothes and only had wide leaves to cover
themselves
 A ritual believed to bestow good health and luck to the people and is
supposed to transfer the luck of a successful warrior to the people
Giving of Durao
 Neophyte is given a warrior’s plume and is brought to the kayaw.
 Kayaw: mass invasion of a village by the inhabitants of another village
Performing the dawak
 Mandadawak performs the dawak (chants)
 Chanting and rhythmic beating of gangsa (gongs)
 Placing of bandela (red scarf) around his head and stuck rooster feathers
as head plumes
 Wearing of durao means being always brave and strong
 Tying of baag (loincloth) around his waist
Batek
 Solemn milestone in maturity of for Ilubo males
 Marks the departure from childhood and adolescence
 Includes binulibud (thre parallel lines at the lower to the upper arm)and
bikking (chest tattoos)
Ritual of sigyat
 Circumcision
 Can be performed but tattooing is a priority
 Batek comes before circumcision.
For young women
 Tattooing is done before/after the menstruation of a young woman.
 13-15 years old
 Tattooing helps in smooth flow of blood from the vagina.
 Menstruation: indication of physiological puberty; biological requisite
for marriage
Adumba

Dance ceremony of the retreating men who beat the gongs suspended
from human jawbones and encircle women who mark the time without
locomotion and revolve in place to face the warriors dancing around
them.
 Physical contact in the dance is taboo.
 Finding of prospective partners among the tattooed warriors during the
sagang (victory feast)
 Indication that a woman is of marrying age and capable of bearing of a
child
 The maingor (warriors) and bobaei (women) now join the autonomous
worlds of mature adults or ancestors
Importance of tattoos
 Indicate initiation into adulthood and full participation in the social life
of the group
 Signify acceptance, a sense of belonging and identity
 Indicates permanent differentiation from peers
BATEK AND RITES OF INCORPORATION (EVARDONE)
• Kayaw (headhunting)
• one of the markers for incorporation and for advancement of a
mai’ngor (warrior) into a higher class.
• A young man cannot marry the woman of his choice until he has
taken part in kayaw.
• Dagdagas
• to bring home the head and win the woman of his
choice
• Headhunting may be used in the accumulation of soul force
• Kayaw & batek are considered sources of much virility to the young
warriors.
• Marriage constitutes a clear mark of permanent incorporation into a
family
• Kopya – ceremonial blessing of the newly married couple
• Tattoos are considered a source of pride
• e.g. Apo Attunai’s parents had full body tattoos and she was told that
they were a source of pride and were responsible for the birth of 15
children.
• According to the elders, the reasons for their fertility was the
presence of their body tattoos
• Many said that they were obliged by their parents or pressured by the
rest of the group to get their tattoos.
4|Adaro, Arante, Evardone, Gorospe, Yee
• In some cases, the girls could no longer bear the pain, and refused to
finish the process
INCORPORATION TO THE MAINGOR (ARANTE)
 Maingor – young or new warrior
 A warrior (mai-ngor) is assured of membership to the kamaranan
through his participation in a successful head taking.
 Kamaranan
o is a dominant warrior class
o the life force of Ilubo polity
 Incorporation to the group kamaranan entails courage and
determination.
 Getting a tattoo is a public declaration of bravery and advantageous –
for they were considered “badges of honour”.
 The prevalence of tattooing in the pre-Spanish period is also the
perpetuation of the kamaranan.
 Only the actual killer was accorded the honor of a tattoo…and hence,
earned tattoos (De Raedt 63)
 Warfare was organized for the purpose of gaining renown, prestige, the
right to manifest heroic deeds by way of tattoo designs tattooed on
men’s breasts, throats, and shoulders (Billiet and Lambrecht 18)
TATTOO DESIGNS
 Initially, tattooing starts at the back of the hand and wrists.
o The 1st kill is denoted with stripe patterns that appear like tie
band called gulot or pinupungol.
o When earned, this means the person has killed someone or has
become a headtaker.
 Tattoos on hands
o Those who have killed 2 individuals.
 Chest Tattoos, and Insignias (e.g. head axe)
o Those who have killed 10 or more individuals.
o Insignias are usually inscribed at the side of their stomach, back,
thighs, legs or cheeks.
o They connote unrivalled bravery of a warrior.
 Dakag tattoos
o By earning this tattoo, it is used to define being a man in
Kalinga.
o found at the back of the body
o recognized for exceptional and unsurpassed bravery
 Conditions to earn a Tattoo
o gimaiyang: wounder of the living enemy
5|Adaro, Arante, Evardone, Gorospe, Yee
o manela: giver of the coup de grace
o samir: taker of the lower jaw taken before the head is severed
o maniwat: taker of the head
o dumagin: wounder of the torso
 Tattooing increases in proportion to the number of heads or
participation in headhunting forays.
 Tattoos
o signify as “badges of honour”
o earned in painful way
o permanently inscribed
o appear attractive to women
o inspire confidence in one’s kinsmen or village mates
o made people safe from invasion and in case of grave local
disputes
SYMBOLIC FUNCTION AND ROLE OF TATTOOS
 A man who has earned tattoos has:
o social privileges in the community
o religious roles in the community
o political influence in the community
Maii’ngor
young, new warrior
Mu’urmut
revered warrior
Pangat
consultant in pudons or buddongs
(peace pacts) between communities
and other tribal groups
respected leader

Pangat
o
o
o
o
o
o
accorded with respect
acknowledged as an elder
has a distinguished headhunting record
has an aggressive personality
a persuasive arbiter
He has continue to carry significant roles and maintain influence
in the community to this day but for a limited role in the
centralized political organization in Kalinga; and are largely
called on for ceremonial purposes only
 Before in baruknit (intervillage conflicts), spears were thrown; head axes
were brandished; warriors killed; and heads were taken off. But today,
killing by revenge is done on a personal basis by using guns and arms –
indiscriminate firing and bombing. Here, “honor” is accorded to the
perpetrator of various crimes.
LIMINALITY RITES OF PASSAGE (EVARDONE)
Process of healing and recovery
Physical and psychological pain
Psychological Impact
• Association of the swelling of their arms where in the recovery process
to what the dead experiences in sangidel (practice of putting the dead in
a chair)
Physical Pain
• Arms swell for 3 days to a week
• Healing process takes about a month
• Newly tattooed women still have to tend to their household chores and
farming
Psychological burden: Pressure from parents and society
A woman who refuses to be tattooed is said to be barren.
Why some people do not finish the tattoo?
• It is a very painful process.
• The skin will look dark and ugly after some time.
• They fear being labeled as criminals.
–
During the colonial regime, people with tattoos were regarded
as criminals.
The batek reflects physical or psychological changes or changes in status that
take place but also coincides with the chart of the individual’s progress toward
social maturity.
TATTOS AS VISUAL IMAGERY AND TALISMAN (ADARO)
• Images on tattoos are cultural referents of particular ideas held by the
community.
– Gayatman natn banas (centipede-eating lizard) on headhunting
– “taker of the enemy”
– Bituwon (star), sorag (moon) and pingao (bird)
• Tattoos of elders reveal their social standing.
• Being tattooed is a concrete realization of the sense of social unity of
the members of the group.
• Tattoos are talismans.
– Confer on the body special powers, such as strength and
invulnerability
– Effective means of protection from disease
– Animal figures give the wearer magical powers while in combat.
TATTOS AND AESTHETICS
• The elaborateness of the body tattoos expresses an aesthetic
component of batek.
– Ambaru: beauty
– Mangkusdor: handsome and strong
– Bumaru: beautiful
– Dinuras: people without tattoos; weak and bad omens
• Tattoos share geometric designs with the baag (loincloth for men) and
kain (skirt for women).
– Creates illusion of the upper garment
– Sinokray “sleeves of the shirt”: extension of the women’s kain
– “Best” costumes for cañaos
• Ambaru also extends to craftmanship in fanga (pottery), arasag (shield
design) and other forms of material culture.
CHANGING IDENTITIES IN THE CONTEMPORARY PERIOD (GOROSPE)
Role of Batek
• Changes the role and status of an Ilubo
• “Naked” person evolved into a “marked” person, making his/her right as
a member of the community or his/her kindred acknowledged
Breakdown
• During the 1960’s the government and church outlawed headhunting
and tattooing which led to the loss of the significance of batek.
6|Adaro, Arante, Evardone, Gorospe, Yee
• The Ilubos fought against invading NPA and rebel soldiers in the village.
• This act of protecting the village is still seen as an act of bravery and is
rewarded with a tattoo.
• But this tattoo already has a different design.
• Most of the Ilubo have refused to be tattooed the traditional way
because they are embarrassed and afraid of being labeled as criminals.
• They associate tattoos with notorious gangs or prisoners instead of
being proud of what the batek really symbolizes.
• When attending festivities, the Ilubo wear clothing that could conceal
their tattoo to avoid added attraction and unwelcome “invitation to
exploitation”
Factors Causing the Waning of the Batek
• Migration
• Education
• Religion
• Painful process of traditional tattooing
Why the Ilubos today do not persist in getting tattoos?
• Batek is hard-earned and reserved primarily for rightful persons.
• These are for village elders and warriors of the past.
• Getting a tattoo without the actual process of igam is an insult to their
elders
•
•
Conclusion (Evardone)
The batek is the Kalinga’s expression of pride and beauty
These “markers” enable a sense of community.