Tankil, or warriors armband

Imagine being a young man from the Bontoc tribe in the Philippines. You live in the Luzon rainforest. It is a place of wonder – and danger – especially if you are not initiated as a warrior, a person chosen to provide food, safety and security for the rest of the tribe. It is time for your initiation. Your whole life has led you to this moment, and you do not have the luxury of looking back. It is imperative you remain in the present. You fight off fear, wipe sweat from your eyes, and hear every sound; especially the squeal of a wild boar as it breaks through a thicket charging you at full speed. You gasp, raise your arm and let loose your spear; and in an instant you become a man, and for the Bontoc – a headhunter!

The band of this Tankil is crafted with boars tusks and snake vertebrae, while the human figure is carved in narawood

This week’s New Arrival features a boar tusk armband called a Tankil by the Bontoc. Crafted from tusks that were triumphantly brought back by an initiate many decades ago, it signified the wearer possessed the power, speed, endurance, and ferocity of a wild boar. It also meant the man wearing it was qualified to be a headhunter. The Bontoc once safeguarded their tribe through headhunting, using it to acquire magical powers over their enemies rather than for deterrence. Although this practice has since been banished, the Tankil continues to signify the courage, honor and pride of Bontoc warriors, illustrating fierceness should not be confused with barbarity or adulthood with wisdom.

(Product SOLD)