the real filipino roots- how we became

8/14/2019 the real filipino roots- how we became

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The Real Filipino Roots: How we became...

The Malay Archipelago before government and politics and nationalism started/ consisted ofonly what we know

now, as Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Within the vast archipelago

these islands was

not inhabited yet, only by Pre-historic animals.

FIRST WAVE: The First indigenous people that traveled to explore new homeland was the

Aetas (Negritos:

which are crossed with Afro-Asiatic and Austro-Aborigines). The Aetas or Agtas or Negritos

or Andamanese (of the

Andaman Island, India), they are the first to reach several exotic Islands of the archipelago

and called it home. This

was approximately 15,000-3,000 B.C. (Original indigenous native man of the EastIndies and of the island


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continent which is now known as Australia). Within these times the Aetas where nomadic

because of the changes

of weather and food resources. They traveled through the vast region of the archipelagos.

Going from island to

island of the South seas (for instance, the people of Melanesia - FIJI). The Aetas area mix

descent of African andAsiatic roots they came from Asia evolving as a new race of human beings. Different from

the present day black

people of Africa or the present day Asians.


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SECOND WAVE: Alongside the Aetas different and diverse civilizations were evolving

faster and more

advanced than them. This is because of the Malay archipelagos many secluded islands (time

seems to stop as

primitive indigenous tribes are in seclusion). When the many islands of the pacific were

settled by the Aetas.Another wave of intermixed race appeared. These natives came down also from Asia and

evolve to another race.

They were called the Proto-Malays (Mongol Asiatic descent they are from mainland Asia and

are the 2nd to settle

in the Malay archipelago). The Proto-Malays were more technologically advanced group

(2500 B.C. 2nd wave).

They were sea farer's and farmers, and their advances in to the peninsula forced the Negritos

of the land to the

hills and jungles. Although, there were a few territorial fights in the beginning of the Proto-

Malays settlements. They

have live side by side with the Aetas peacefully Within their island homes (exchanginginformation). Both the Aetas

and the Proto-Malays practiced head-hunting and is part of the family Malayo-Polynesian

language group.


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THIRD WAVE: Third wave introduced civil natives called the Deuteron-malay`s they werecrossed with the

Proto-Malay natives with India-asiatic, which was Indian, Chinese, Siamese, and later

mixed with Arabic. These

people brought with them diverse influences. They were more civilize and so, along with the

Aetas and the original

Proto-Malay natives the Duetero-Malays in comparison was not as primitive. So they

overruled the majority of the

archipelago. Not until the Spanish overseers came with there guns and forcing there beliefs

on the land. And so

they were pushed more down south area of the archipelagos.

It was the introduction of the 4th wave that soon put the Philippine Islands into the maps. The

Spanish fleet led by

Portuguese hero Ferdinand Magellan reached the islands. From there, to make things short

and not complicated,

short summary: the CASTILLAS the Spaniards, the Conquistadors (the overseers) did as

they do and rape and

pillaged the land of its gold and of its people, to make it there own. Intermixing to become

the fourth wave. The

Spanish influence. TO BE CONTINUED...


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Tribes History


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It was 1998, in the midst of the Polynesian tattoo renaissance; the first Amangs of the tribe

went to Hawaii not

knowing what lay ahead of them. They wanted to see for themselves the proud people who

have been reviving

their culture's tattoo traditions. In some sense, they felt that the spirit of the MANA was

present in every turn during

their journey because it led them to the most righteous people. It also gave them the

opportunity

to learn about the Polynesians oral history and folklore, giving them the chance to build a

bridgeof information that parallels that of the Philippines. As the Amangs shared their information

to

what they have learned from the elders and their separate researches it would mesh with the

research of the Polynesian brothers and to what they have heard and learned growing up with

the tattoo culture being practiced. That was only the beginning in furthering their dedication

for

the revival of the Filipino tattoo traditions.

From Hawaiian big brother's like beach boy ROY with stories about his

tattoos, made tribe members focus more about their own tattoos and how it

correlated with their own lives and ancestors. ROY then introduced the first


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Amangs to two Polynesians from Tahiti, PO'OINO and COCO. It was a great site to see

that they too were filled with tattoos that spoke about their ancestors and abundantly

celebrated them on their skin without shame or worries about the preconceptions of today's

society and how they look down upon such practices.

It was very admirable that the Polynesians dedication of reviving their traditions went as far

as to

sport so much tattoos just to make a point about their ancestors way of expressing things

through

insignias and patterns; reviving things of the past that missionaries felt was savage andprimitive

was a proud thing to do. The POLYNESIAN people too, have experienced oppression by the

Europeans, yet they are pushing to regain the wealth of their tattoo culture that was once

extinct.

They asked the AMANGS why aren't our Filipino people breaking that mental enslavement

from the

past Spanish rule and join in the revival by getting tattooed with our insignias and sacred

patterns?

We read so much in books that the Filipino people where very much tattooed in the past but

none

dare to step to the plate and brake the cycle. Seeing their

POLYNESIAN cousins, it was a great example that fueled the creation

of the tribe and it's mission to regain.

However, it didn't stop there. POOINO started a tattoo shop in Waikiki,

Oahu called NEW TRIBAL TATTOOS, which brought the very talented


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likes of AISEA TOETU'U and Filipino brother ORLY LOCQUIAO from San Jose; they

became the TRIBES great

friends. NEW TRIBAL TATTOO wanted to practice contemporary tribal tattoos, paralleling

traditional tattoo designs

of the old and weaving it to the person of today. It was a foundation filled with cultural

sources.

AISEA TOETU'U was the start of the revival... TO BE CONTINUED.

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//::.URBAN WARRIORS.:://

REVIVING TRADITIONAL TATTOOS OF THE PHILIPPINES

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


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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.


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Here, where the terraces are close

and the slopes are steep, age-old

traditions are not easily changed. The

few roads through the area aresupplemented 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


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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.

But that slow cultural

suicide will soon stop, if the "Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon Tribe" tribe accomplishes its goals.

Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon is an organization dedicated to reviving the traditional cultures

and tattoos of the

Philippine Islands. Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon Translates to Mark of the Four Waves, a

reference to the "waves" of

immigrants who came to the Philippines over many millennia. The influence, both good and

bad, of each of these

waves has combined to create the islands' culture. Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon intends to

resurrect the positive, repair

the negative, and move into the future while keeping their roots firmly planted in the

past. "A people without

knowledge of their history and culture are like a tree without roots," says Amang Hanuno'o,Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon

member. Our ancestors are the roots on the tree of life, and all the branches tell their stories.

The leaves are our

parents. We should all support each other as we grow and reach towards the skies, but so

many of our generation

are like seeds that have not been watered."

Tattooing, encapsulating as it does the stories and beliefs of traditional Philippine culture, is a

significant part of

the renaissance that Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon are working towards. Tribe members help each

other to research

their ancestors' history by consulting elders and whatever printed reference material might be

available. From that

knowledge the correct tattoos are created.

Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon members stress that their tattoos are not a fad or a fashion statement.

The tattoos are

intended to bridge the gap to their ancestors, and every pattern is sacred. Each Tatak Ng

Apat Na Alon member's

tattoos have story lines and deep symbolic meanings behind them. So for a person to copy

would be taboo anddisrespectful. They can be used for inspiration for your own designs. But it would be so

much better, AMANG

suggests, to research your own roots and water your own tree. "I know of someone who got

a Filipino tattoo which

he thought indicated that he was a brave warrior. But what the design actually meant was

that he was the widow

of three warriors. I didn't say anything to him about it because I didn't want to embarrass him.

His heart was in the

right place. But that is an example that it's very important for people to know that these tattoos

have real power and

meaning, and could bring unwelcome things into your life if you aren't absolutely sure whatthey stand for, or if you


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aren't the person who is supposed to be wearing them."

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, AMANG says, 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 AMANG's research, the mountain tribes in Northern Luzondeveloped 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," says AMANG. " 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," said AMANG. " 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 aremarkers of their age,

accomplishments, and tribal seniority. Some tribes believe that tattoos have magical qualities,


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particularly images of

scorpions, centipedes, snakes, and boats, all of which have especially deep significance to the

people who wear

these tattoos.

The Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon Tribe has about 40 members (then, 100 members now in the

present and that

does not include all the candidates to join). Most have been tattooed in the modern way,with tattoo machines.

Some have gotten traditional hand worked tattoos. The traditional tattooing method involves

the tattooist smearing

the skin with a mixture of soot and sugarcane juice, Amang says. 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.

AMANG HANUNO'O recently discovered that the folklore of how tattooing began in Borneo

is very similar to aPhilippine 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.

Sometimes I feel like a horse with

blinders," said Amang. "I am so focused on

Filipino Things that I forget to look at other

cultures. And it is very important to look at

other cultures because all are connected.Art knows no boundaries."


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TATTOO Magazine - May 2004 - Issue 177

Written By: MICHELLE DELIO

We ask that you do not copy the patterns of the tattoos given here as well as

the tattoos from our other pages. These tattoos have actual meanings that are

specifically made for the person wearing them. Each pattern and design depict

their own personal stories of their lives and ancestry, NOT YOURS!!! " Researchyour own roots and water your own tree."

the real filipino roots- how we became

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