Tattooing–known as batok, buri, and pangotoeb–was practiced by nearly all indigenous Filipinos before colonial invasion. Groups such as the Visayan, Manobo, Tagalog, and Bantoc all tattooed themselves in their own ways. Among all of these groups, stylized geometric forms and stylized animals were common. Natural events, such as lightning, water, stars, or the sun were also visible. Tattoos were used to mark beauty, bravery, status, and kinship. Elite warriors from the Visayan people had ferocious facial tattoos, whereas tattoos in Manobo culture were more subtly placed on the forearms and ankles. Tattoos, they believed, could illuminate your way to the spirit world.

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