Introduction to Filipino Tattoos: Bibliographic Resources Located Across Multiple Databases. This list is not exhaustive, but provides an overview of key materials available through the identified research platforms.
*The databases listed below require an active subscription. Individuals without UH affiliation are encouraged to consult their local library regarding access options, including interlibrary loan services.
Salvador-Amores, A. (2013). Tapping ink, tattooing identities: Tradition and modernity in contemporary Kalinga society, North Luzon, Philippines. University of the Philippines Press.
A foundational ethnography on Kalinga tattooing, exploring ritual, identity, and changing cultural meaning.
Wilcken, L. (2010). Filipino tattoos: Ancient to modern. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
This book provides an accessible overview of Indigenous Filipino tattoo traditions, including symbolic meanings and modern revival movements.
Dinter, M. H. van. (2000). Tribal tattoo designs (1st ed.). Shambhala. http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0664/99040020-d.html
Introduction: Tribal Tattoo Designs -- World Map -- Map of Southeast Asia -- Map of the Pacific -- Designs. Europe, Central Asia, Middle East and Africa. India. Burma, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and The Philippines. Malaysia and Indonesia. New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand. Cook Islands, Tahiti, Marquesas, Easter Island, Hawaii. Caroline-, Gilbert- and Marshall Islands. Micronesia, Mariana Islands, Palau and Yap. Taiwan, Hainan, Japan and Siberia. North America. Central- and South America.
Krutak, L. F. (2024). Tattoo traditions of Asia: Ancient and contemporary expressions of identity. University of Hawaʻi Press.
An anthropological overview of tattoo traditions across Asia, exploring identity, ritual, and history.
Krutak, L. F., & Sugguiyao, N. (2010). Kalinga tattoo: Ancient and modern expressions of the tribal. Edition Reuss.
A richly illustrated cultural and historical study of Kalinga tattoo motifs and their significance.
BESIDE Media (Firm). (2020). The new traditional: Heritage, craftsmanship and local identity (C. Métayer, C. Beal, M. Mann, J. Young, R. Klanten, & M.-E. Niebius, Eds.). Gestalten.
A global survey of craftsmanship and cultural heritage practices, with relevance to design, identity, and traditional arts, including tattooing.
Verzosa, J., Cheval, F., & Sugguiyao, N. B. (2017). The last tattooed women of Kalinga (1st ed.). Steidl Verlag.
A photographic and ethnographic documentation of the last generation of Kalinga women bearing traditional tattoos.
Las Peñas, M. L. A. N. D., & Salvador-Amores, A. (2018). Enigmatic geometric tattoos of the Butbut of Kalinga, Philippines. Mathematical Intelligencer.
Analyzes Butbut Kalinga tattoo motifs using mathematical theories of symmetry.
Oggay, W. O., Brennan, J., Nish Media, & McIntyre Media Inc. (2016). Philippines. Nish Media; McIntyre Media Inc.
A documentary film featuring cultural communities, including traditional tattoo practitioners.
Ragragio, A. M. M., & Paluga, M. D. (2019). An ethnography of Pantaron Manobo tattooing (Pangotoeb). Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University.
Documents Manobo tattoo symbolism, methodology, and ritual significance.
Mantohac, J. (2016). Architectural abstraction: Tattoo markings of the Pintados [Doctoral dissertation].
Examines Visayan tattooing practices through symbolic and architectural frameworks.
Salvador-Amores, A. (2011). Batok (traditional tattoos) in diaspora: The reinvention of a globally mediated Kalinga identity. South East Asia Research, 19(2), 293–318.
Explores how Kalinga tattoo identity shifts and transforms through diaspora and globalization.
Griffin, P. B. (2013). Review of Tapping Ink, Tattooing Identities. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 41(3/4), 317–320.
Reviews Salvador-Amores’ ethnography and underscores its contribution to Philippine cultural studies.
Straffin, P. D. (2019). Review of Enigmatic Geometric Tattoos of the Butbut of Kalinga. The College Mathematics Journal, 50(4), 319.
Analyzes the mathematical structure of Kalinga geometric tattoo motifs.
Pertierra, R. (2011). Afterword. South East Asia Research, 19(2), 343–347.
Reflects on identity, globalization, and cultural transformation in Southeast Asia.
Johnson, M., & McKay, D. (2011). Introduction. South East Asia Research, 19(2), 181–196.
Introduces key themes in regional research including identity, tradition, and cultural politics.
Clariza, M. E. (2019). Sacred texts and symbols: An Indigenous Filipino perspective on reading. IJIDI, 3(2), 80–92.
Examines Indigenous Filipino approaches to writing and reading by way of tattoos and weaving in knowledge transmission.
Calano, M. J. (2012). Archiving bodies: Kalinga batek and the im/possibility of an archive. Thesis Eleven, 112(1), 98–112.
Critically examines colonial archives and the challenges of preserving Indigenous tattoo knowledge.
De Las Peñas, M. L. A. N., & Salvador-Amores, A. (2019). Enigmatic geometric tattoos of the Butbut of Kalinga. Mathematical Intelligencer, 41(1), 31–38.
Uses mathematical perspectives to analyze Butbut tattoo patterns.
Krutak, L. (2017). Reviving tribal tattoo tradition of the Philippines. In L. Krutak & A. Deter-Wolf (Eds.), Ancient Ink (pp. 56–61). University of Washington Press.
Discusses the revitalization of Indigenous tattooing practices.
Salvador-Amores, A. (2021). Ritual act, technology, and the efficacy of traditional tattooing among the Igorots of north Luzon. Journal of Material Culture, 26(4), 451–471.
Explores tattooing as ritual technology and material culture.
Soukup, M., Lužný, D., Bláha, J. D., & Skupnik, J. (2021). The aura of tattoos: The commodification of tradition in Buscalan village, the Philippines. Asian Journal of Social Science, 49(3), 153–160.
Examines tourism, commodification, and cultural authenticity in Whang-Od’s village.
Deter-Wolf, A., & Krutak, L. (2018). Ancient ink: The archaeology of tattooing. University of Washington Press.
A foundational volume tracing tattooing through archaeological evidence.
Mallon, S., & Krutak, L. (2025). Indigenous tattoo traditions: Humanity through skin and ink. Princeton University Press.
Explores tattooing as a global Indigenous practice tied to identity and humanity.
