BRIDGING THE GAP
Bisayan tattoos and clothes of long ago
The early Bisayans, more than any other groups of people in the Philippines, were fond of decorating their bodies with intricately and beautifully designed tattoos. This is the reason why the Spaniards referred them as "Los Pintados" and the Visayan islands as "Las islas de los Pintados". Tattooing, of course, was not the monopoly of the Bisayans. Early Spanish writers reported that natives of Albay, Camarines, Catanduanes, and the central part of Northern Luzon (Cordilleras) also practiced it.
According to an old Spanish manuscript transcribed and translated by Carlos Quirino and Mauro Garcia (1961), the Bisayans tattooed various parts of their body with iron and brass points heated with fire and using dye made from certain plants or from the soot accumulated in cooking vessels. They had artisans in every village who were adept at it. The tattoos were done with "such order, symmetry and coordination" that they elicited admiration from those who saw them.
The men had their bodies practically covered with tattoos, from toe to head, so to speak. The process of tattooing usually starts with the lower limbs, especially the calves and thighs, then going up to the upper sections. Tattoos on the face, however, was reserved to those who were able to earn them through effective leadership, courage and valor in battle, extraordinary exploits, etc. The tattoos were mostly in bold or fine horizontal, vertical, circular and zigzag lines. The women, on the other hand, tattooed only their legs, arms and hands in a very elegant manner. Theirs was more of decorative or aesthetic consideration. To the men, their tattoos served as a sign of manhood and were highly valued. Also, the tattoos served as if they were clothed, despite the fact that, ordinarily, many of them were wearing only bahag.
The early Spanish writers described the Bisayan bahag in this manner: "The men... wear nothing on the body except a cotton cloth two fathoms long, or a bit more, and three-fourths (of a fathom) wide, which with a few polished turns they wrap around the waist and between the legs so as to cover their private parts and posteriors with the rest of the body naked. This cloth they call in their tongue bahaque." (Blair & Robertson, 1903-1909, XVI).
It must be made clear that the bahag worn by the Bisayan males as indicated in the preceding paragraph was not the loin-cloth used by the other societies or other ethnic groups. It was wider and longer, for it was nearly 4-5 meters long and about 3-4 meters wide. It was, therefore, more of a wrap-around than the typical bahag.
Other than the bahag, the early Bisayan males had another kind of cloth made of cotton that they used as a daily wear. This kind of clothing was a sleeveless shirt closed at the front. In addition, the men generally wore a fine headdress of many colors called potong, podong or purung that holds their long hair together. The young men, proud of their potong, usually wore it elegantly with many strips of gold.
The Bisayan women, on the other hand, wore garments and dresses consisting of wrap-arounds (patadyong) with diverse colored strips. These were either made of cotton or piña fibers produced locally and of silk that came from China. With these, the women wore a chemise or jacket with half sleeves that reached the elbows. They were buttoned at the front with cords or braids of silk or with buttons of gold, and were close-fitting without neckbands. Being fond of bodily ornaments, women wore a lot of gold and other jewelry. Even men were noted to be wearing earrings, bracelets, armlets, necklaces, and even leglets.
When the women had to go out their homes, they wore a tapis, a mantle-like wrap made of cotton, over their patadyong. They usually walked very slowly, making a lot of body movements. With one sleeved arm upraised (Morga, 1962). This was considered fashionable at that time and was an effective way of attracting attention, especially from the male specie.
It can be said, therefore, that the early Bisayans were already conscious of what was considered as appropriate attire of the period and not as nearly naked as early Spanish writers wanted their readers to believe. For, indeed, weaving as an industry was already widespread in the Visayas at that time, especially in Panay island. In fact, by the 18th century, Iloilo has already embarked on its journey of becoming the "Weaving Capital of the Philippines" by the mid-1800s.