Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Lost Art


In the Kalinga region (North Luzon), the use of tattoos for body decoration, in case of women, and as a symbol of being a warrior, in case of men, was a very popular practice among tribes people but it's becoming a lost art.

This practice of drawing on the skin is performed using soot mixed with water and kisi needles.

The different patterns range from rinafarafat (fern-like), sinongchar (straight line), inob-ofog (mat-like), kinakadjaman (centipede-like), and minanmanuk (chicken-like).

This four photographs, taken in the villages of Chananau and Ngibat, represent some of the last tattooed women that are the living proof of this ancient art.