So I finally got the book I’ve been dying to get for awhile now. It’s called Filipino Tattoos: Ancient to Modern by Lane Wilcken. I actually got it yesterday, a day early than expected, and all I have been doing really is reading everything in this book. I’m already almost half way done. :D

I have learned so much that I already didn’t know about my tattooing culture, not just Filipino, but also the whole Austronesian-Polynesian culture as we are all connected by the same ancestral roots.

The author go into depth with the different tattoo motifs in the Philippines as well as the rest of South East Asia and Polynesia and explains the meanings and cultural ties that links the whole Austronesian-Polynesian cultures. He compares shared myths and creation stories, beliefs, tattoo motifs, etc. that are slightly different from culture to culture as the migration of the Austronesians moved downward from the aborigines of Taiwan to South East Asia to the islands in the Pacific.

He explains the spiritual beliefs of Austronesian family, such as the belief in ancestral spirits, the connection with certain animals and the ancestors such as the snake/pythons, crocodiles, to the messengers of the ancestors such as the birds.

He goes into the traditional tools and methods of our tattooing culture, reasons why both men and women tattooed, the ones that were tattooed to show courage, bravery, ones specific for our headhunting practices/culture before it was eventually stopped due to modern times, puberty, fertility, life, our ancestors, that we were able to pass on to the afterlife with certain motifs, and so on.

One part I particularly liked was this passage in the book.

” From these examples we learn what tattooing meant for these women. They were seen as not only more beautiful, but also possessing emotional and physical fortitude to endure pain and hardship, including the pain of childbirth. A woman’s tattooing was an affirmation of her strength and inherent spiritual power, procreative endowment, and as a form of clothing, an enhancement of beauty and a proclamation of her status. Finally, the tattoos were a form of recognition that allowed the soul of a woman to pass into the afterlife and join the glorious chain of her ancestors.”

The traditional tattooing method. It consisted of the preparation of the ink, called, “iro, biro, biyug, bidu” etc. depending on the ethnic groups, made out of soot and water. Other ingredients sometimes used were oil, sugarcane juice, chicken excrement and hog bile. The tools used were a comb of needles or a single needle, made out of thorns, bamboo, iron, steel, or brass, that were tied to an adze-like tool made of wood or carabao (water buffalo) horn. The number of needles depended on the tattoo design. The mallet used to tap the back of the comb to force the needles and ink into the skin was made out of the same material, wood or carabo horn.

Here are more examples of the motifs with their spiritual meanings.

I won’t go into the meanings of the different motifs as they are considered sacred, not just to put on because it looks “cool”. They were given for a reason, to signify an accomplishment, a connection with the ancestors, or as rites of passage during puberty such as a young woman’s first menstruation. If you are Filipino however and would like to learn more about our tattooing culture message me through fanmail.

(Source: lifeofafilipinopagan)

The Philippine Flying Lemur (Colugo)

Known by its local name, kagwang, the Philippine Flying Lemur is one of the only two living separate species of flying lemur, or colugo’s, the other being the Sunda (Malayan) Flying Lemur. Despite its name it is actually not a lemur and it can’t fly. Instead they glide long distances, not fly, and are the closest living relatives to primates.

They have flaps of skin that surround almost the entire body and extend from the fingers and toes to the tail, that when it glides, it looks like a bat. Because of this it was once thought they were related to bats. When the flying lemur wants to glide from one tree to another, it holds its arms and legs out, creating a parachute or wing-glider type of effect, soaring 50 to 100 metres in one effortless motion. Flying lemurs never purposely descend to the ground, where they move slowly and awkwardly due to the large flaps of skins that hang from their bodies, rendering them nearly helpless when they attempt to walk upright. They spend their entire lives up in trees, sleeping in tree hollows or hanging upside down from branches during the heat of the day. The flying lemur eats a diet consisting entirely of leaves, buds, fruit and flowers, but only from certain species of plants. The destruction of its habitat has therefore been fatal for this animal, and because it’s difficult to find the right food for them when in captivity, captive flying lemurs often meet early deaths. It eats by grabbing a branch, pulling it towards its mouth and biting off a piece of leaf. Water is obtained by licking drops from wet leaves.

The Philippine flying lemur (C. volans) is found only on islands belonging to the Philippines, while the Sundan or Malayan flying lemur (C. variegates) is found in the rainforests of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sumatra and Borneo.

They are surprisingly clumsy climbers. Lacking opposable thumbs and not being especially strong, they proceed upwards in a series of slow hops, gripping onto the bark of trees with their small, sharp claws. They are as comfortable hanging underneath a branch as sitting on top of it. In the air, however, they are very capable, and can glide as far as 70 metres (230 feet) from one tree to another with minimal loss of height.

Because of their shy and nocturnal nature, and living in the dense rainforests, little is still known about the habits on both these species and more study and research is still needed to find out more about these lovely creatures.

(Source: lifeofafilipinopagan)

The Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox.

Known by it’s local names, paniki and kabog, it is the largest bat in the world being one of the megabats, with a wingspan of up to almost 6 ft, weighing to 3.3 lbs, and a up to a body length of 55 cm, or 22 inches. It is often compared to the other megabat, Pteropus vampyrus (the Malayan Flying Fox), which is often mistaken as the largest bat for reports on its wingspan but is smaller in body mass and size.

This marvelous, yet endangered animal gets it’s name from its golden fur around its head which is in contrast to its dark brown to black body and wings. It has no tail like other fruit bats and is endemic to the Philippines inhabiting the uninhabited forests on the islands of Bohol, Boracay, Cebu, Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros and Polillo.

A primarily nocturnal creature (as are most bats), it can travel at least 25 miles (40 km) per night while searching for food – mostly figs but also regional fruits like puhutan, lamio, bankal, tangisang, bayawak and strangler figs. It is also referred to as “The Silent Planter”, as they are known to scatter the seeds of the fruit they eat in their droppings which makes them vital to the ecosystem of the Philippines’ rainforests.

Prior to the decreasing number of their species, giant golden-crowned flying-foxes were known and still known to make colonies with its cousin the Malayan Flying Foxes. These colonies were meant to help them keep warm and avoid predators such as the Philippine Eagle. However due to the colonies it became much easier to hunt for humans, for their meat and to make pelts which is one of the top reasons for their decrease of numbers in the wild. Due to their important contributions to the ecosystem it’s important that efforts are made to conserve these giant fruit bats.

Click here for a video documentary on these megabats. (in Tagalog, but you can easily follow along and see these bats in action)

(Source: lifeofafilipinopagan)

More than 40 different ethnic groups can be found in the Philippines. There are 18 tribal groups on the island of Mindanao. The most well known is the T’boli Tribe, that lives in the province of South Cotabato, around lake Sebu. Since the arrival of settlers originating from the other islands of the Philippines, they gradually moved to the mountain slopes to live in scattered settlements in the Highlands.

This Tribal group is still living in a traditional way., comparable with how their ancestors lived centuries ago. The T’boli distinguish themselves from other Tribal Groups by their colorful clothes, bracelets and earrings, this tribe is famous for their complicated beadwork, wonderful woven fabrics and beautiful brass ornaments.

A T’boli legend tells that the T’boli are descendants of the survivors of a great flood. A man named Dwata warned the people of an impending great flood. But the tribe refused to listen, except for two couples, La Bebe and La Lomi, and Tamfeles and La Kagef. Dwata told them to take shelter in a bamboo so huge they could fit inside and in this way survive the flood. The story tells that the first couple are the ancestors of the T’boli and other highland ethnic groups The second couple descended the other Filipino indigenous groups.

The T’boli culture is richly connected with and inspired by nature, their dances are a mimick from the action of animals such as monkeys and birds. The T’boli have a rich musical culture with a variety of musical instruments, but the T’boli music and songs are not meant for entertainment only. The Tribal songs are a living contact with their ancestors and a source of ancient wisdom. The T’boli believe that everything has a spirit which must be respected for good fortune. Bad spirits can cause illness and misfortune.

(Source: lifeofafilipinopagan)

adrenialove:

Dedicated to the survivors of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991 and those who faced and went through the calamities afterwords. 20 year’s of surviving and being strong ! ♥ [ Song in Kapampangan not Tagalog ]

~ By 1DELACREW