International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue VII, July 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Fatek (Tattoo): An Ethnic Bontoc Marker in the Northern Philippines

Arnel M. Kisofen
Principal, Sadanga National Technical-Vocational & Skills Training High School

Abstract: The Bontok Igorots of Mountain Province, in the Cordillera Region, are one of the Philippine tribes that practiced traditional tattooing. The reasons and meanings of their tattoos could be better understood through the traditional context of Bontoc culture. To determine the cultural significance of tattoos to the Bontoks, the descriptive survey investigation was used to explore the tribe’s physical and socio-cultural practice of tattooing (fatek); discover the changes in the practice and perceptions of tattoo as well as its implication in the traditional and contemporary Bontoc society. The study’s primary informants included Bontoc elders with first-hand experiences and knowledge in the practice of traditional tattooing and young people with tattoos.
The findings of the study showed that the traditional tattoo in traditional Bontoc society conveyed symbolic meanings, especially among the male members of the tribe. The chaklag is a symbol of status and at the same time a part of the rite of passage. On the other hand, women’s tattoos in Bontoc had no significant meaning but purely for decorative purposes and social acceptance. This study unfolds many unique and indigenous tattoo symbols which contribute to the development of local art. The changing attitudes and perceptions toward tattoos by the contemporary Bontoc community is a tug of war between the older and younger generation. The advancement of technology made tattooing more convenient thus, attracting many young people in Bontoc to have tattoos. Further, tattooing has become part of the health and beauty industry and many young professionals and teenagers are having positive attitudes and perceptions toward tattoos. Today, the impact of tattoos in the Bontoc society is closely felt in the loss of their cultural and symbolic meanings and thus ceased to be an ethnic marker for the Bontoc tribe. In the area of economy, it is beginning to draw clients from young professionals and teenagers. It has likewise become an established career and business causing the development of innovated creative art.

Keywords: ethnic marker, fatek, tattoo, art, Bontoc, symbolic meanings

I. INTRODUCTION

Tattooing is a practice among several cultures in many parts of the world. Tattoos are forms of communication through the body used as a cultural text bearing artistic images and semiotics. Recently, the tattoo system has been a popular study read in scholarly journals of anthropology, history, sociology, newspapers, and magazines. Common among these works of literature is a relative marginalization of tattooing which is perceived as part of a deviant subculture and not a topic of serious intellectual interest. Although these studies bear significance in the development of scientific knowledge, many authors romanticize the practice of tattooing such that their analyses do not generally correspond with their findings. Even though the practice of tattooing in the Philippines was prevalent since the sixteenth century, very few accounts were