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| Catriona Gray's Pintados bodysuit |
Catriona’s bodysuit was inspired by the Pintados (painted
people) and represent Visayas, the headdress and beaded knee-high boots were
inspired by the different tribes of Mindanao. The parol serving as her backdrop
represents Luzon.
Aside from these, other features at the back of the parol
paid tribute to other Philippine cultural elements, among them Marinduque’s
Moryonan.
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| At 3 o'clock position are elements of Marinduque's Morionan |
The Pintados bodysuit was inspired by a depiction in vivid
color of an ethnic group that appeared in a manuscript written in 1590 called
the Boxer Codex that contained illustrations of the Tagalogs, Visayans,
Zambals, Cagayanes and others. Those illustrations utilized Chinese paper, ink
and paints and may well have been drawn by a Chinese artist.
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| Pintados in Boxer Codex 1590 |
It is believed that the manuscript was written under the
orders of the governor at that time, Governor General Gomez Perez Dasmarinas
who arrived in the same year 1590. (Dasmarinas’ almiranta galleon, San
Ildefonso, due to a very strong typhoon was grounded in Marinduque, remember?
And
that among the passengers of San Ildefonso was Padre Pedro Chirino the
historian, remember?)
We know that Marinduque at that time was inhabited by
Tagalogs and in some parts by Visayans who could have influenced the language
they spoke.
Question: Were the inhabitants of the island of Malindug (Marinduque’s
original name after the volcano), or their warriors engaged also in the
body-painting traditions of the tattoed “Pintados” of the Visayas?
Without doubt, that's the case. We will find in Relacion (1582-1583)
by Miguel de Loarca:
“Ysla de marinduq e. Entre la ysla de banton y la de lucon quarto leguas de banton y conco de la ysla de lucon esta la ysla de marinduq e. que tiene como veynte y seys leguas de box, y ocho de ancho aura en ella como mill hombres capul y ella son de Vn encomendero: son yndios pintados aunq e no es juridicion de cubu, arevalo ni camarines.”
Translation by Blaire and Robertson (The Philippine Islands 1493-1803):
“Island of Marinduque. Between the island of Banton and that of Lucon, four leagues from the former and five from the latter, lies the island of Marinduque. It is about twenty-six leagues in circumference, and eight leagues wide, and contains about one thousand men. Capul and this island are under the charge of one encomendero. The Indians are Pintados, although under the jurisdiction of neither Qubu, Arevalo, nor Camarines.”
Therefore, certain Indios living in Marinduque in those years bygone are Pintados
(painted people)! But they were not under the jurisdiction of Cebu, Arevalo
(Iloilo) nor Camarines.
There’s also something very significant mentioned here: “Capul
and the island are under the charge of one encomendero”.
Local accounts tell us that the first encomendero* in
Marinduque was Pedro de Mena who was killed by the natives. But one encomendero
who was listed as having 'owned the commission' of both Capul and Marinduque was Agueda de
Contreras.
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| The island of Capul in Northern Samar |
Where’s Capul? (see above map)
Capul is an island in Northern Samar. Pintados in those
years of Spanish colonization were found in Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol and Eastern part of Negros. Today
we know that Pintados Festival are celebrated in Leyte and Samar, to showcase
their tattooed inhabitants.
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| A Torrijos Beach in Poctoy, Marinduque |
As regards Catriona's national costume, one of the world's top islands called Marinduque in the heart of the Philippines is splendidly represented by unique cultural elements, the Parol, the Moryonan (aka Moriones) and Pintados.
(*Encomienda: Established as a right granted by
the King in favor of a Spanish subject (encomendero) in order that he would
receive the taxes or works that the subjects had to pay to the monarchy. In
return, the encomendero had to take care of their well-being spiritually and
earthly, ensuring their maintenance and protection, as well as their Christian
indoctrination.)
