Tattoo your Filipino heritage onto your body with this sleek tattoo design featuring symmetrical shapes – it looks great when placed on your forearm or leg!
Wolf Tattoo
This wolf Filipino tribal tattoo symbolizes loyalty, leadership, and protection of its pack. Additionally, it may have additional connotations of ferocity.
Head Hunting Tattoo
Once a man makes their first kill, they become considered head hunters and receive a tattoo representing this status on their hand.
Animal Tattoos
Filipina tattoos often include images of animals such as snakes and birds to represent strength, courage, and faith while being believed to bring good fortune and prosperity.
Celestial and Natural Symbols
These traditional designs incorporate celestial imagery, such as stars and suns, and natural images, such as flowers and trees, giving each design its distinctive character and telling a unique tale about your culture and heritage.
Anito Mask Tattoo
An anito mask tattoo, representing power and strength, is a famous symbol in Filipino tattoos. Worn by shamans to protect them during rituals and ceremonies, its symbolism is widely associated with Filipino society today.
Animal Pride Tattoos
Tattoos featuring images such as the carabao (water buffalo), chevrotains (mouse deer), and tarsier (small nocturnal primate) have long been used as an expressive means to show Philippine pride. These animal tattoos symbolize courage and strength while making a powerful statement – perfect for wearing on arms or legs for maximum impact!
Geometric Designs
Filipino Tattoos typically feature geometric designs that create striking visual compositions. These geometrical forms combine modern and traditional techniques for an eye-catching tattoo that covers large areas like this full-arm design. Furthermore, shading helps add dark corners for depth and sharp contrast for maximum impact.
Tribal Warriors
Tribal warriors adorned themselves with intricate tattoos to protect themselves in battle and show their tribal status, with more elaborate designs seen as stronger warriors. Today, this style of tattooing has become increasingly popular.
Whang-od Oggay, the Last Tattoo Artist
Whang-od Oggay, at 103 years old and the last known tattoo artist from the Kalinga tribe, has taken to tattooing to maintain her culture and keep it alive. She Tattoos tribal designs onto her skin using the spike of a calamansi tree dipped in charcoal – just as her forebearers did before her. Oggay considers her work a “living archive” and strives to see it flourish.
Symbols
Filipino tattoos feature symbols with specific meanings to their culture. This may include shapes, colors, and religious images like crosses. Crocodile jaw symbols symbolize strength and tenacity. Another popular symbolic element is the coconut tree, which represents health, longevity, beauty, chakra power, and fertility. Consider including it in your art design if you want something with greater spiritual meaning. Another powerful symbol is the carabao, the national animal of the Philippines. A black and white tattoo featuring its image can show your pride for your country while connecting to its culture and showing who you are as an individual.
Text Tattoos
Filipino Tattoos represent much more than body art; they symbolize culture and heritage as a form of self-expression that tells spiritual protection, guidance, and significant milestones in life. Traditional Mambabatok artists would tattoo designs and symbols that reflect their environment or landscape, such as plants or characters that reflect mountain environments, such as snakes or ferns, along with inking Kalaw (a bird known to signify love, freedom, and adventure). This minimalistic tribal design is an excellent way to show pride in and love for your ethnic heritage. The sun and arrow motifs serve as beautiful symbols representing a mysterious guide force. Filipino Tattoos stand out for their perfect symmetry; each design is crafted to perfectly fit an arm’s musculature and biology. Intricate designs like this combine Celtic and Filipino styles into an intriguing half-sleeve design worth checking out!
