The Filipinos take pride on the fact that they are a mixture of many minority groups,

each one with culture that is very distinct from the other. Although these minority groups vary
one from the other, they describe the characteristics of Filipinos in general.

This minority groups very much describe the Filipinos as courageous and aesthetic
lovers to name just a few.

Among the many tribes, the Pintados mirror the Filipinos bravery that is deeply rooted
to their belief on the spiritual thing.

The tattoos that these warriors possessed were not just meant for decorative purposes.
As stated by William Henry Scott in his book “Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine
Culture”, the tattoos of the Pintados projects an aura of intimidation and fear towards their
enemies, which was a part of their psychological strategy during tribal war and raids. It should
be noted that this is not some kind of elaborated bluff that they utilized, for acquiring their own
tattoo required a tormenting process that only the toughest could endure.

Using a thorn from local Calamansi trees as the primary tool, the ancient art of Filipino
tattooing can be done into two ways. One is by dipping the thorn, attached in a wooden stick,
in a charcoal paste and then tapping repeatedly in one’s skin. The second is by cutting or
prickling the skin wherein charcoal powder will be rubbed in the wounds it created.

Scott added that the position of the tattoo on one’s body indicates certain meanings
about the Pintados. According to him, chest tattoos are given to those who have been in a
series of battles. As their war experiences grew in number, their tattoos would also cover their
backs. Facial tattoos are special markings that are reserved only for those who are proven to be
the bravest warriors of their tribe.

The names of tattoo designs used by our ancestors were recorded by Scott and most of
these designs reflected the beautiful imagery of nature. The “Labid”, was an inch-wide vertical
design that resembles a snake or crocodiles’s scale pattern zigzagging from one’s legs to their
waist. “Bangut” was an exclusive tattoo design for the face of warriors, resembling the gaping
jaw of crocodile or sometimes the face of an eagle. In a similar way, there are tattoos which
were only done or applied on certain body parts such as “Ablay” for shoulder, “Dubdub” for
chest and “Daya-Daya” for the arms.

In a study made by Lorenz Lasco of UP Diliman entitled “Ang Kosmolohiya At

Simbolismo Ng Mga Sandatang Pilipino: Isang Panimulang Pag-aaral” (An Introductory Study
on The Cosmology and Symbolism of Ancient Philippine Weapons) taken from Dalumat
Ejournal, he observed that the images of Pintados found in the Boxer Codex (1595), the tattoo
designs on their chest, thighs and back bear a striking similarity with the sun, while a snake like
pattern runs down their limbs. According to his study, the sun and the snake
represent powerful beings that were sacred to our ancestors.
 The sun symbolizes the upper layer of the multi-layered universe found in Philippine
mythology which is known as the “Kaluwalhatian” (Sky World) where ancient gods
dwell. Pigafetta, the chronicler of Ferdinand Magellan witnessed in Cebu (and in Mactan) how
the Babaylan revered the sun in their rituals. Juan Salcedo also observed in Agusan that the
Babaylan raised their hands in the direction of the sun whenever they asked for a deity’s
intervention. Snakes on the other hand were associated with the underworld or “Kasakitan”; a
reference to the large serpent familiar of the Manobo goddess Dagau which is coiled below the
five pillars that support the world. The facial tattoo Bangut depicting the crocodile jaw is
asymbol that links these tattooed warrior to a Tagalog deity called Buwaya which acts as a
psychopomp or a being responsible for transporting dead souls to their resting place using a
coffin like object on his back.

The artful tattoo designs made by our ancestors are windows into the spirituality of our
people during the period when they are still untouched by colonizers.

Another minority group is the Capiznon. This group has displayed the love and
appreciation for physical beauty more than any other group has ever did.

"Capiznon" refers to both the people of Capiz and the language they speak. The word
"Capiznon" is derived from the word kapis, which means a marine mollusk abundant in the
region used to construct traditional windows, handicrafts, and decorations. The Capizeños, as
they are also known, are concentrated in the northeastern part of Panay Island whose capital is
Roxas City. They speak an Austronesian language that is part of the Visayan language family and
sometimes includes Waray and Aklanon words. The Capiznons' primary sources of income are
fishing and farming, with rice, sugarcane, and coconut as their major agricultural products.

The current population in Capiz is more than half a million people (POPCEN 2015).
Modern-day Capiznons are a mixture between Chinese, Malay, and Spanish descent. The
islands' early inhabitants were Aytas (locally called Ati), Indonesian descendants of the Mundo
tribe in central Panay, and the Malays. Capiz is closely associated with Aklan. In fact, the two
provinces were jointly called Aklan under the leadership of Datu Bankaya, one of the ten
chieftains who settled in Panay during the 13th century. The province was ruled by the
descendants of Datu Bankaya until the arrival of the Spaniards in 1569.

The Sulod is a fascinating tribe in the interior mountains of Capiz, particularly in the
municipality of Tapaz. They are indigenous people generally referred to in Panay as Bukidnon.
They are descendants of the Mundo tribe, an Indonesian ethnic group that migrated from
Mainland Asia and lived in the mountains of Panay for centuries. Due to the derogatory
connotation of the word Mundo, their tribe came to be known as the Bukidnons, then
eventually as the Sulod, which literally means "closet" or “room.” They have a unique set of
traditions and way of life.
 A unique cultural practice among the Sulod people is the keeping of binukot, beautiful
women kept in closed rooms. They are forbidden from exposure to sunlight and remains in
darkness from childhood until the day of their engagement. Binukot women are excellent epic
chanters. A chanting can last more than thirty hours. It is in this tribe that the famous epic of
Panay called "Hinilawod" came from. It is an oral folklore portraying the Sulod people as well as
their sacred rites and healing rituals. It takes up to three days to share its entire story. In the
olden days, the binukot women chant and dance under the moonlight to guarantee a plentiful
harvest.

In the libraries in Madrid, Jesuit archives in Rome, and in the Newberry Library of
Chicago can be found “thousands upon thousands “ of manuscript
regarding pintados in Alzina’s Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas.

In the manuscripts of Alzina, the author speaks about the natives (indios) of these
islands and referred to them by two names: one as bisaya which means happy, good tempered
and pleasant man; and the other, derived from the ancient practice of tattooing themselves -
pintados.

The sixteenth century Spanish conquistadores called them pintados, "painted people."
Natives of the Western Visayan islands, these pintados were among the first local peoples
to encounter the white man. Thus did they enter the European record.

An anonymous manuscript dated 1590, and later acquired by Charles R. Boxer (hence
known as the Boxer Codex), includes illustrations of these resplendently tattooed peoples. It
later became clear that the body marks were not painted on, as the Spanish description
suggested, but were applied via the tattooing practice of puncturing the dermis and inserting
pigment to create an indelible design.
 Some scholars think that tattooing was born of even earlier kinds of body decoration.
Such practices of smearing the skin with mud, pulp, waxes and oils were likely multi-purpose: to
evade predators, to evoke the preening of birds and beasts, to mark a rise in rank.

With the discovery of the indelible mix of sap and soot, these practices which were
related to protection, camouflage, emulation, and status marking- may have evolved in time
into "tattooing cultures." In ancient Southeast Asia, variations in tattoo patterns are known to
have signified kinship affiliations.

Certain motifs also signalled rank. Above all, specific tattoo marks "inscribed" acts of
bravery and heroism. Because the tattooing surface is the human body, the natural tendency is
for every line and curve to follow the person's anatomy and its perfect symmetry.

Zigzags, diamonds, dots and lines were common, and were applied as though to
highlight the sinews and contours of the body. These marks are often severely geometric in
Southeast Asian traditions. Many patterns are thought to have had symbolic dimensions, but
many deep meanings are, unfortunately, lost in time.

Whatever were those original esoteric meanings, these bodily markings clearly
projected a sense of heightened physical beauty.

With loin cloths of bark covering their private parts, the pintados quite literally
embodied ancient Philippine costuming.

Doubtless that the first encounter between pintado warrior and Castilian conquistador
was dramatic. To the foreigner, the tattooed natives were perhaps the epitome of savagery. To
the natives, the conquering aliens were perhaps a superfluously-clad race!