La Isla De Los Pintados

Sometimes called the Forgotten Islands of Southeast Asia, located as they are off the main trading routes, the over 7000 islands that comprise the Philippines host a rich mix of about 80 to 90 distinctivelydifferent cultures, ranging from the wild sea gypsies of the Sulu Archipelago, many of whom have never stepped foot on dry land, to intensely independent Kalinga people, who live in the remote mountainous region of Northern Luzon. Here, where the terraces are close and the slopes are steep, age-old traditions are not easily changed. The few roads through the area are supplemented by narrow footpaths which wind their way along terrace edges up the jutting stepping stones of the terrace walls and through mountain passes to connect the villages and barrios. Everything, including new construction materials when needed, must be borne on human backs and heads.But one of the constants that are part of almost all traditional Filipino cultures is tattooing, with styles that range from intricately delicate swirling designs to bold and simple silhouette motifs. Tattoos have long been so much in evidence that part of the Philippines was dubbed "La Isla De Los Pintados" -- the Islands of the Painted Ones -- by Spanish explores. Sadly, over the last half-century, Filipino tattoo traditions have been slowly vanishing. For Some of the images, only a surface story can be told of their meanings, since it is believed that telling the in-depth story will diminish the tattoos worth, depriving it and its wearer of its protective power. Other tattoo designs would seem to conflict with traditional Filipino beliefs, Unless you know the thinking behind them. For example, a lizard is a messenger of death. If a lizard whispers in your ear, you won't survive the next battle. So you'd think people wouldn't be wearing a lizard tattoo, but actually the image acts as a talisman. Other messenger lizards of the spiritual world would presume that the message has already been delivered when they see the tattoo and they leave you alone. There are different tattoo traditions among each of the Philippine's main island groups; LUZON, VISAYAS, and MINDANAO. According to research, the mountain tribes in Northern Luzon developed a highly creative culture, and tattooing is still very prevalent among the people who live there. Their tattoos are intricate patterns comprised of curved and straight lines, inked in indigo blue and placed on the chest and arms. It would be difficult to find a man or woman from the interior of LUZON who has never been tattooed. But the practice is rapidly disappearing as many people are now discarding their old traditions in favor of the new.The Men of the VISAYAS, the people called PINTADOS by the Spaniards, tend to tattoo their entire bodies. The women only tattoo their hands. Both sexes get inked at an early age, as it's believed that the younger child begins to get tattoos, the easier he or she will find the experience. Visayas tattoos are extremely elaborate, they look like complicated etchings. They leave only their wrists and feet bare of ink. Basically what they do is cut the designs into the skin and then press soot or ashes into the wound. Traditional Filipino women get tattooed to enhance their beauty. Men's tattoos are markers of their age, accomplishments, and tribal seniority. Some tribes believe that tattoos have magical qualities, particularly images of scorpions, centipedes, snakes, and boats, all of which have especially deep significance to the people who wear these tattoos.The traditional tattooing method involves the tattooist smearing the skin with a mixture of soot and sugarcane juice. If sugarcane juice isn't available other substances such as lard or hen's dung can be used. The skin is then rapidly poked with the tattooing instrument, which ranges from the pointed metal pieces used by the PINTADOS, to the pieces of sharpened wood used by the kankanay tribe from Central Benguet.The Most unusual tattooing device was developed by the Isneg tribe from the Apayao Province called the "Igihisi" it is made from a curved piece of rattan with four or five pins attached to one end. The tattooist places the pins into the skin and then rapidly beats the curve next to the pins, on it's convex side, until the pins are deeply embedded into the skin. The folklore of how tattooing began in Borneo is very similar to a Philippine tattoo myth. Both are birds, who --as the story goes --fell into a bowl of black ink. Covered with pigment, the bird frantically flew into a warrior, and began to peck at him. Soon the warrior was covered with little black marks that formed a design, and the first tattoo had been inked.