The #NationalMuseumPH continues the #NationalWomensMonth2022 celebration with another important material culture used as personal adornment to complement the traditional attire during performances and special occasions, as well as indicate status in the community—the earplugs. Piercing of the earlobes and outer rim of the ears at an early age is a common practice done to accommodate multiple earrings for aesthetics and as rite of passage. 

Ivory earplugs are one of the highly prized personal ornaments in Mindanao. At a young age, Bagobo children’s earlobes are pierced to produce a small hole. A piece of twisted banana or hemp (abaca) leaf or a small round stick is then placed in the hole to act as spring, which causes the opening to continually expand until the earplugs (pamarang) can be fully inserted. The earplugs worn by women are usually made of wood with designs inlaid in silver or brass and are attached to strands of colorful beads connected under the chin while men wear undecorated wooden earplugs. The ones worn by affluent men were large ivory earplugs acquired from Borneo through trade with the Chinese and Moros. 

The Manobo groups use a needle for ear piercing. A thread of abaca fiber is then inserted and kept in place by a piece of beeswax at both ends. The holes may be enlarged to accommodate larger ear ornaments by inserting small pieces of a rattan leaf’s midrib at intervals of 2 days until the holes reach the desired size. This process is usually done as soon as the wound of the initial piercing heals. After which, coiled pandan leaves are fitted to help increase the size of the earlobe perforation, especially among women, since the piercing hole expand naturally over time. 

Aside from ivory and beads, bark, bamboo, and mother of pearls are some of the materials used by some ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines in creating earplugs. The Negrito women wear earplugs made of bark of certain trees to serve as fragrance while Pala’wan women wear them as a status symbol. Earplugs are also part of the ritual exchange among the Pala’wan.

#NationalWomensMonth
#Earplugs

Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

For our #MuseumFromHome series on body modifications practiced by early Philippine communities this #NationalWomensMonth2022, the #NationalMuseumPH highlights the tradition of tattooing in the Philippines. Let’s take a look into some of its significance in northern Philippines!

Different forms of body modification were practiced in the country since pre-Spanish times, among these is tattooing. In the north, the Kalinga are known for their tattooing tradition. Locally referred to as fatok/batok or fatek/batek, tattooing is performed by a manbatek. The manbatek inscribes the fatek to men and women who are considered mature enough to have it. 

Kalinga tattoo is often correlated with warfare. According to a few studies by Dr. Analyn “Ikin” V. Salvador-Amores, men in the early times participated in a kayaw or headhunt as an offensive activity against a rival group. Taking someone’s head was a way of proving oneself as worthy of becoming a member of the kamaranan, a dominant warrior class. It also showed the warrior’s masculinity that secured him a chance to be with the woman he desires. This victory was recorded with ink on the warrior’s skin, with the amount of tattoo directly proportional to the number of people the warrior had slain. Some of the tattoos, which were worn as badges of honor, are the binulibud (3 parallel lines from the forearm to biceps/ triceps), bikking (chest tattoo), gulot or pinupungol (stripe patterns like a tie band acquired by warrior after his first killing), dakag (back tattoo), gayaman nan banas (centipede-eating lizard) on the back of hand, ax symbol, bituwon (star) and sorag (moon) being considered as sources of light during night vigils before village raid, and the snake-like symbol that serves as protection. 

Fatek, on the other hand, symbolized fertility among women and connotes her eligibility for marriage. They were tattooed on the forearms, upper arms, and shoulder blades with centipede designs locally referred to as nirafarafat or inufu-ufug. Some women were marked with the sinokray (necklace or sleeve tattoos).

Tattoos were equivalent to beauty or attractiveness as well as strength or masculinity. Anyone without it was considered weak and presented a bad omen to the community. The presence of a tattooed warrior also provided the community members with a sense of security, as the said warriors were regarded as very strong and brave.

At present, having a tattoo among members of the Kalinga community is not strictly observed. There has been an appreciation of the practice among non-Kalinga in the past years and one of the Kalinga tattoo artists, Apo Whang-od, was awarded in 2018 with Dangal ng Haraya by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. 

#Batok
#TattooInThePhilippines
#MuseumFromHome

Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Mud on one of the paintings?

For the #OnThisDay feature of the #NationalMuseumPH celebrating the 80th birth anniversary of Filipino international artist David Medalla, we highlight his 1957 “Self-Portrait” from the National Fine Arts Collection (NFAC).

Medalla completed his “Self-Portrait” in 1957 when he was 15 years old. In 2017, the artist visited the National Museum of Fine Arts, as shown in this photo.  He told the staff that he used mud in this oil painting — an early manifestation of his curiosity and artistic genius. This painting is one of the artworks in the NFAC that a Filipino artist did at a very young age. 

The pioneering figure in kinetic art, participatory art, and performance art was born in Manila in 1942. At 14, American poet and his poetry tutor at Camp Rising Sun, Mark van Doren, recommended him for admission at Columbia University in New York City. After his studies in New York City, he moved to London and became one of the leading art figures in the UK capital. He is best remembered for his “Cloud Canyon” sculptures or bubble machines. 

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), a renowned French artist, presented Medalla with his “Medallic Sculpture” in the 1960s. This was his tribute to Medalla’s “Cloud Canyon” sculptures — cementing Medalla’s prominence and place in the international art scene. In 2000, he launched the London Biennale, “a biennale open to every artist regardless of age, sex, ethnic origin, and artistic language or style.” 

Medalla’s artworks are included in the collection of major museums worldwide, namely: The National Gallery Singapore, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the Tate Modern in London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He joined numerous international exhibitions and lectured at many institutions and universities here in the Philippines and abroad. 

The artist passed away on December 28, 2020, in Manila.  Still, his legacy and inspiration continue to live in the number of artists his life and art have touched.

We are now accepting walk-in guests! View “Self-Portrait” at the Pillars of Philippine Modernism Gallery, (Gallery XVIII) of the National Museum of Fine Arts on your next tour. Browse through this website for more information. 

#OnThisDay
#MuseumFromHome
#DavidMedalla

Text by NMP-FAD

Photos by Bengy Toda and NMP-FAD

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines