BATOK TATTOO RITUAL

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Tattoo
Wednesday, 07th February
JULIE TOLENTINO: BATOK TATTOO

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIE TOLENTINO

Were there technical aspects used to perform the ritual of Batok tattooing?
Using a tek-tek-tek, translates as ‘to hit slowly’, the design is embedded into my skin in a backhand technique that Whang Od and her father are known for, approximately 100 taps per minute. There is one thin bamboo stick, or gisi, which holds the needle, and another bamboo stick repeatedly taps on the gisi. Most Polynesian-style traditional tapping tattoos use a hand-over-hand technique so this is a particularly unique method. During the tattooing, Whang Od rests her bodyweight on me and we use each other’s legs and arms for support. As a body worker and a dancer, this kind of shared physicality deeply resonates.

Although I had been warned to expect intense pain, I could honestly say that it was not as painful as I had expected but much more emotional than I could have imagined. Thousands of tiny taps of the ink-dipped thorn slowly revealing a precise image of two face-to-face centipedes. There are only a few roving tap marks. For me, these precious extras mark the work as her signature.

The final element of the tattoo was her broad touch, coating the entire tattoo, by firmly smoothing her bare fingers over the design, mixing blood with the soot to lay in the last of the ink. The tattooed design area was raised from the tattooing, however, my arms barely reacted. Even Whang Od was surprised by how well my body responded. Considering the size of the piece there would have ordinarily been much more redness and which deepened the pride I have in my Filipino heritage and reinforced a personal, historical connection to Batok Tattooing.

August 2012