Kalinga tattoos

Kalinga tattoos

LegLeg was just a teen when she got these tattoos. All of the Kalinga women from her generation have these full sleeve traditional tats.

Charcoal is made into a paste and then thorns from the calamansi trees were used as needles to decorate their bodies.

Some women have a tattoo necklace in addition to the full sleeves as does guide Francis Pa In's mother. She is a kindly old woman that tends a sari sari store at the bend in the road just before you get to Tinglayan.

I had met my guide, Francis a number of years ago at the Pines Hotel in Bontoc when he was a freelance guide there. He spends his time between Tinglayan, his home town, and Bontoc.

If you ask around at the hotels he will appear and be happy to show you around for a few days. He is a cheerful guy that speaks the mountain languages so you flow through the villages easily.

The mountains between Bontoc and Tabuk along the Chico River do not see the heavy tourist pressure that Sagada and Banaue do and are really worth the effort to visit.

I went over to Sagada to get some of these pictures developed so I could bring a few back to people.

There is a computer and photo shop downstairs from the Alfredos guest house that charges 25 peso per print.

Philippines

Question from reader A.M.

hi! looks like you're well travelled, anyway i am from Manila, i have a lot of tattoos but ive been longing for a real authentic tribal tattoo... do you think there's a likelihood that they give me one should i go up at kalinga for my b-day?

also is it true that if they dont like you, they will cut your head off?

Hi A M,

I don't think that they will cut your head off but I did have the pleasure of knowing one one of the last head hunters that lived near Tinglayan. He died about 4 years ago.

There is an interesting picture in the Bontoc museum of a muscular warrior being transported like a pig on a bamboo pole minus his head. He also had slash marks on his body and leg. It's quite a powerful photo. I think it is one of the old Masferas collection.

I don't think you could get the tattoo in one day. They use a thorn from the Kalamansi tree and a charcoal paste for pigment and the extensive tatoos take quite a while.

Usually only the women get full sleeves and the men just get abstract tattoos in no particular style. The new generation shuns the tradition and I have never seen a younger person with the traditional tats.

If you want a good guide to the area check with Francis Pa In. He can be found hanging around the Churya-a Hotel in Bontoc. I have known him for 10 years. His mother has a full sleeve kalinga tattoo and neck rings. She was a noble woman in her day but is in advanced years now.

That tradition will eventually die out I believe.

Cheers

dp

Hi Dutchpickle!

alright... not really after a full sleeve but just be marked by them.. its my bday on maty 19th and i plan to do charity and help out in the community. are you from manila? do you think a 4 day leave from work would give me a good 2 days there?

also, with francis, how much are we looking at having him as a guide? or better yet, if its not trouble, can you give me a rough estimate of the costs i'll incur?

thanks so much! im so excited. ive been travelling alone but where ive been going are the commercialized ones, only now am i going to a place that's really "native", would you recoomend travelling alone?

Hi A.M.

Francis works cheap - maybe 1000 pesos a day depending on where you want to go.

Tinglayan is right on the road system so you can get there by bus and jeepney from Manila but it will take about 1 1/2 days each way. The mountain people are leery of strangers passing through on their own and Francis knows the ropes. He speak Kalinga and has the trust of the locals.

He is also the foremost authority on the tribes in the area.

I don't have the number of the Churya-a Hotel in Bontoc but that would be your best bet if you want to make advance arrangements.

You might be able to do it in a 4 day time frame but it would seem kid of rushed. That area by the Chico River Canyon in the Cordillera mountains is one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines. The jeepney stops for water breaks alongside the road and everyone gets out and fills their water bottle from the stream alongside the road.

The air is clean and fresh and there are no pesticides used on the crops in Tinglayan.

I suggest taking some time to spend in the mountains with the people and then get to know what different tattoos mean. Then choose what is meaningful to you.

If you want to make a big circle you could return to Manila via Tabuk.

have fun!

dp

2007 www.dutchpickle.com

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