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Okay, great. But let's not forget that Apo Whang-od is not just a "tourist attraction" or a "National Living Treasure." She's a tattooist of women and headhunters within her tribe. If you're not from the Butbut people, what are you doing getting ink from her, honestly? https://twitter.com/sarvanieloheimo/status/1279527156209467392
The Kalinga & the Igorot Indigenous People in general have their own ancestral lands and traditions which must be preserved and nurtured, not exoticized and capitalized on. If you want to cherish them, help them fight off private businessmen, mining corporations and the military.
There's a good article on this by SBD Afable on @phkule in 2017, titled "Merkado ng Marka." You may read it on p. 8 in this archived issue here:
#IStandWithIndigenousPeoples https://issuu.com/philippinecollegian/docs/isyu_blg._13__14_pebrero_2017_
#IStandWithIndigenousPeoples https://issuu.com/philippinecollegian/docs/isyu_blg._13__14_pebrero_2017_
Whoa, didn't expect this to blow up and have a life of its own! Thank you to all who have made this discourse flourish! Before I mute this thread, I'd like to address a few salient points:
- My intent as a writer was to call attention to the OP I QT'd who's American.
- My intent as a writer was to call attention to the OP I QT'd who's American.
- I'm not "gatekeeping" Apo Whang-od's pagbabatok but I believe it has to be said that there is a problem in traveling, hiking all the way to her to get a tattoo without a deeper understanding of how their art and culture has been commodified because...
...they don't have the right economic means due to anti-IP neoliberal policies (already mentioned above) upheld by the Philippine government as well as the heavily colonized social system that we have which may be rooted in history (excellently pointed out by @MarchingHere below)
- I received DMs and read QTs thanking this thread bec they were educated on the cultural significance of pagbabatok and why it wouldn't help the Butbut people if we participated in the commodification of their culture. Thank you for keeping an open mind 
- That said, I continue to educate myself more on this matter and others concerning our IPs who are undoubtedly some of the most marginalized and exploited Filipinos in our semi-colonial, semi-feudal society 
Unless we recognize that, we'll always think that...
Unless we recognize that, we'll always think that...
