Top 71 Filipino Tribal Tattoo Ideas – [2021 Inspiration Guide]

Tattoo art was once an integral part of tribal culture in the Philippines. Unfortunately, by the 1700s, the practice had been all but forgotten due to the influence of invaders like the Spanish Conquistadors.

True Filipino tribal tattoos (called batek, batok, or patik in the Philippines) are now a rarity, and a Filipino tattooist will only ink these designs on clients of Filipino descent.

Many modern Filipinos disapprove of tattoos in general. But many locals and foreign tourists still seek to get tattooed by the legendary Apo Whang Od, the oldest magbabatok (tattoo artist) in the Philippines at 105 years old.

As for the designs common to this style, Filipino tribal tattoos are often inspired by nature. Traditionally, an artist would tattoo scenes and symbols that highlighted aspects of the area where they grew up.

For example, if an artist grew up near a mountain range crossed by a river, symbols representing mountains and rivers are likely to appear in their designs. In the mountains of the Cordillera, where Apo Whang Od lives, tattoo art is based on animals such as snakes and plants such as ferns.

Filipino tribal tattoos offered men protection, represented a tribesman’s bravery in battle, or signified their tribe’s status. As with many forms of indigenous tattoos, meticulous, repetitive patterns were common, as opposed to the elaborate, photorealistic imagery often seen in modern Western tattoos.

These patterns included circles, diamonds, as well as rudimentary shapes of dogs, men, and eagles. hexagonal shapes that resemble snake skin or beehives also appear frequently in Philippine tribal art.

Armbands were popular placement choices, as were full chest pieces. all body parts except hands and feet were considered prime real estate for ink.

Below, you’ll find a mix of modern and traditional tribal styles, plus everything in between.

1. intricate filipino tribal tattoos

A hallmark of the Filipino tribal tattoo style is that intricate pattern of lines that makes each design what it is. Designs can be simple, but a superior tattoo will stand out with incredibly precise, clean lines that create an intricate mesh of shapes and patterns.

That means competent, precise shading, a black as solid as night, and lines that hold their weight throughout the design without blowouts, hesitations, or gaps.

The end result is something placed on the flesh with an almost mathematical precision in which the elements of the upper part of the tattoo, the lower part of the tattoo and the middle of the tattoo coincide and can be interchanged.

A favorite centerpiece of Filipino tattoos is the sun, which represents freedom and the steps taken by this Southeast Asian nation towards progress. This body art is modeled after the sun depicted on the Philippine flag, along with the eight rays that represent the provinces that started the revolution against the colonizers. a rough map of the country completes the design.

2. half sleeve filipino tribal tattoos

Traditionally, many Filipino tribal tattoos began on the arms and spread across the body as the warrior wearing them aged and gained more status. but the arm was often the first part of the entire canvas, which is why the Filipino tribal half sleeve tattoo remains such a popular design.

The patterns used here have been very specifically designed to complement the shape and biology of the arm, following the musculature from the shoulder to the elbow. they draw attention to, and even accentuate, muscle and mold to the shape of the body without being forced like some less traditional designs have to.

you can also find more designs highlighting the sun below.

3. fusion of filipino tribal tattoos

With dozens of tattoo styles available, it’s not hard to imagine the idea of ​​merging two together in an effort to create something new. The Filipino tribal tattoo style can be merged with other styles or incorporate simple elements from illustrative, traditional, or other styles to create a visually dynamic image that plays by its own rules.

Traditional Filipino tribal tattoos are always solid black, but a splash of color can set off the entire design in a new and unique way, as can adapting the style to new imagery like crosses or even animals.

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It is not surprising to find a cross in Filipino tattoos as the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, the only one in Asia. the nation celebrated 500 years of Christianity in 2021.

4. heavenly filipino tribal tattoos

A classic Filipino tribal tattoo design does not contain many elaborate images, but some meaningful symbols do appear, particularly designs of a celestial nature that include the sun and stars. the designs evoke natural images, even many of the simple lines are meant to represent things in nature like trees and snakes.

These design elements can add a visual dynamic to a Filipino tribal tattoo that makes it stand out beyond the stylistically similar patterns that make up most of these designs. the use of negative space is key in these designs to highlight the celestial elements.

The sun and stars, found on the Philippine flag, have deep meaning to Filipinos. if you look closely, a full picture of the sun always has eight rays and there are always three stars.

While the eight rays of the sun symbolize the provinces that led the revolt against the colonizers, the three stars, as can be seen in the tattoos below, represent the three main islands of the archipelago, namely Luzon, Panay and mindanao.

5. classic filipino tribal tattoos

Each Filipino tribal tattoo design has a meaning. among the mountain range tribes, where apo whang-od still practices manual tattooing, warriors adorned themselves with a simple striped band called a “gulot” when making their first kill in battle.

the pattern would be built with each subsequent victory in the battle. the greatest of warriors would have tattoos on his face. other designs were body-specific, such as the ablay, which is only found on the shoulder.

These classic Filipino tribal tattoo designs range from simple to complex, but follow set and repeated patterns to build a solid design. black should be bold and solid, lines should be sharp, and negative spaces should be clean.

Common designs include day and night (diamond-shaped negative space on a black ink background), snake skin (hexagonal shapes), and a centipede (two parallel lines with a series of v-shapes). on both sides).

6. massive filipino tribal tattoos

The nature of Filipino tribal tattoo design is such that the patterns and intricate layers of shapes, shading and lines can be as small or as large as you like. Full sleeves, back pieces, and full chest tattoos are often done in this style because the patterns are easy to build and repeat in as much or as little space as needed. this not only adds to the overall look but will also help with practical application as the same tattoo can easily be built up over multiple sessions with no obvious gaps in appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions About Filipino Tribal Tattoos

What do Filipino tribal tattoos mean?

the tribal warriors of the philippines were called painted by the conquerors, who first encountered them. their bodies were adorned with elaborate patterns that had been painfully forced into their flesh with needles made from things like bone or calamansi tree thorns dipped in a charcoal mixture. the process was arduous and showed the mettle of the warrior who spawned them.

the designs themselves were a kind of psychological warfare. the larger and more elaborate the pattern, the more pain the warrior wearing it could endure and the more he would be feared by his enemies because they could see how tough this person really was.

Interested in more tribal style tattoo designs? click the links below to see more galleries:

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