What just happened?" I ask aloud, shaking my head to dispel the fog
clouding it.
"Pa?" "Honey!" I called out for my husband. "Paaaa!" I shouted, my voice slicing through the stillness, desperation lacing each syllable.
Silence hung in the air, a hea...
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The swarm of male warriors, young and old, was a spectacular display of bold batok tattoos covering their naked bodies from head to foot.
It's no wonder why the Spaniards, when they first landed on the Visayas island, dubbed these indigenous Los Pintados, the "painted ones," I thought, recalling my grade school social studies class, because of their amazing, heavily tattooed bodies! I am here now, an eyewitness to it firsthand!
The men's patik markings were like their primary garment, covering their naked bodies; however, one no longer notices them due to the intricacies of their tattoos!
Each has an exquisitely engraved, unique design on their skin, showcasing their bravery, passion, personality, and warrior skills.
They wore it as their proudest garb, a form of identity, as their tribal attire or magnificent armor, and only a bahag, a bark loin cloth,concealed their manhood.
Except for the Kepala Suko, who wore a long marlota, a woven robe adorned with layers of organic elements like shells, glass, feathers, and gleaming stones.
The women's tattoos wore their tatoos as a beauty enhancement and a fashion statement. The patterned marks that decorated every inch of their skin, just like the men's, covered their faces, necks, arms, chests, around their breasts, stomachs, thighs, and so on—in short, their entire body down to their ankles—had various geometrical forms and symbols.
The batok designs were works of art because of their intricacies. The length of time it took must have taken years, since these patiks also reflect their lives's milestones and memorable events.
They believed that these tattoos held magical or apotropaic properties, which brought them good luck, and served as a protective charm against evil eyes.
I cringe at the thought of the pain and infection risk they must have endured as they inked their most sensitive body parts using only thorns and charcoal or vegetables as dyes. It must have been worth it to them, though.
