Heart and intellectual rigor required to respond to this, especially since I have the same tattoo from Apo Whang-Od as the man in the photo, but I'm also a Filipina living in the diaspora.
This is an interesting thing to think about, especially in my position. One can consider the different viewpoints of all parties involved. First of all, I understand where the blogwriter is coming from. She sees the value of the Kalinga tattooing as a culturally relevant practice precisely because she has gained an outsider's perspective of it. It is this outsider perspective that gives her that knowledge to value Kalinga tattooing even as it is her outsider-ness that prevents her from partaking in it. As a Filipino, she probably feels that she has more ownership, more "right" to Kalinga tattooing than "the white guy," but she is frustrated by her financial inability to be part of the practice, to get a tattoo herself. Her social/class position in the world as a Filipino woman in the diaspora--probably having to immigrate, like the rest of us, for socio-political reasons--comes into relief when her tattoo-lessness is juxtaposed with that of the white guy who has the ability to travel the world for (she assumes) pleasure. But I have a theory that Apo Whang-Od probably does not see herself in the vaulted position that the blogwriter has put her in. I watched a video of Apo Whang-Od, and she says something like, "I'll never stop tattooing. I'll tattoo until I die." She also has a quote from a film made by the anthropologist Analyn Salvador-Amores where she says, "A tattoo is a gift." Whereas the Kalinga tattooing tradition has meaning and relevance beyond Apo Whang-Od, she has her own reasons for tattooing. Maybe it has something to do with her leaving her mark in the world, or giving something to people in the way she can. For me, tattooing was a spiritual journey, one that I am very grateful for experiencing. I have a very personal attachment to my tattoo that has led me to feeling more connection to my homeland, to indigenous people, to nature, and to the spiritual and unknown. It is the kind of experience that I wish more people would have, if it allowed them to become more loving versions of themselves. But I don't think the tattoo itself brings that as much as the intent, value, and thought you put into your journey, into the practice itself, into your tattoo, and into Apo Whang-Od. Obviously there is the financial factor, but money does not necessarily negate or invalidate the other reasons for tattooing. Also, it must be said that Kalinga tattooing among the people of Kalinga is in decline, even as non-Kalinga people from the cities, the diaspora, and yes, even non-Filipinos seek it out. Some people who get tattooed from Apo Whag-Od understand the importance and monumental nature of Kalinga tattooing (she is 90+ and the last one!) and have strong feelings regarding the seemingly inevitable disappearance of this tradition (she has a niece who is apprenticing under her)...I would like to explore this more after some processing.
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Words, images, & fripperies by Christine Balmes unless otherwise stated. Archives
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