"Preserving Heritage: Where Tradition Meets Skin" - Ate Wamz (Mambabatok)
About Traditional Tattoo
BATEK
Cultural Significance
Cultural Significance
Batek is a traditional tattooing practice in the Philippines, particularly among indigenous communities in the Cordillera region, which includes Benguet. This slow and deliberate process requires skill and precision, tapping rhythmically and carefully to create the desired design.
Cultural Significance
Cultural Significance
Cultural Significance
Identity and Status: In Benguet, as well as in other Cordillera provinces, batok tattoos historically signified an individual’s identity, social status, bravery, and accomplishments. Warriors and hunters received tattoos as marks of their achievements.
Apo Anno
Techniques and Tools
Techniques and Tools
Apo Anno was a tribal leader in Benguet and a descendant of a 12th-century Kankanaey hunter. According to legend, he was the half-mortal son of a goddess and lived up to 250 years. After his death, the Kankanaey tribe mummified his body, dressed him in traditional chief attire, and placed him in a wooden coffin. His body was heavily tatto
Apo Anno was a tribal leader in Benguet and a descendant of a 12th-century Kankanaey hunter. According to legend, he was the half-mortal son of a goddess and lived up to 250 years. After his death, the Kankanaey tribe mummified his body, dressed him in traditional chief attire, and placed him in a wooden coffin. His body was heavily tattooed, symbolizing his role as a hunter and warrior. He was buried in a sitting position, hands raised as if in prayer, inside a burial cave in Nabalicong, Benguet. Today, his mummified remains are considered a national treasure of the Philippines and an important part of Filipino history and culture.
Techniques and Tools
Techniques and Tools
Techniques and Tools
Traditional Method: The batok process involves hand-tapping the tattoo into the skin using tools made from natural materials.
A Lemon thorn attached to a stick, which is then tapped with another stick to puncture the skin and insert the ink.
Ink: Traditional ink was made from a mixture of soot and sacred water fr. Mt. Pulag, creating a
Traditional Method: The batok process involves hand-tapping the tattoo into the skin using tools made from natural materials.
A Lemon thorn attached to a stick, which is then tapped with another stick to puncture the skin and insert the ink.
Ink: Traditional ink was made from a mixture of soot and sacred water fr. Mt. Pulag, creating a natural pigment that would be long-lasting.
The batok process and its ink are deeply tied to identity, tradition, and the rituals of the community, often marking important milestones, achievements, or familial ties.
Mountain-Inspired Ink: Ancestor's Timeless Tradition
Her Signature Tattoo
The Mt. Pulag | Benguet
The Mt. Pulag | Benguet
Mt. Pulag inspires my signature. It is a sacred mountain for Igorots. It's the highest mountain in Northern Luzon (Cordillera) 2922 meters above sea level.
Mt. Pulag is a resting place of our ancestors and playground of the Gods and the home of the Anitos or spirits of the dead.
The water that I mix the ink for tattooing is from the spring water of Mt. Pulag.
The Mt. Pulag | Benguet
The Mt. Pulag | Benguet
The Mt. Pulag | Benguet
It is the Philippines' third-highest mountain and Luzon's highest peak. The Ibaloi, Kalanguya, Kankanaey, and Ibanag live here and treat Pulag as sacred, believing it to be the dwelling place of their ancestors’ spirits, and its peak the playground of their gods.
Get to know me...Ate Wamz (Mambabatok)
My Advocacy
I am an indigenous tattoo artist and advocate. My objective is to promote cultural awareness and preservation.
For me, indigenous tattoo artists are guardians of great ancestral traditions. It is my mission to encourage people to proudly reclaim and revive our traditional practices that were lost in time or are at risk of being forgotten.
Everywhere I go,
I source ink from different places because many clients seek a connection to their identity, roots, and ancestral land.
This is especially meaningful for those born or raised in other countries who want to reconnect with their culture and heritage. It is my mission to encourage people to proudly reclaim and revive our practices that were lost in time or are at risk of being forgotten. I am Kankana-ey/Kalanguya, and my objective is to promote cultural awareness and preservation. I believe indigenous tattoo artists are guardians of great ancestral traditions.
Traditional Tattoo Artist
I am Wilma Gaspili, also known as Ate Wamz. I have been a culture and tattoo advocate since 2018, and I started my traditional tattoo career almost two years ago. Batek is one of the few art forms of the indigenous tribes of the Cordillera. As an Igorot belonging to the Benguet Kankana-ey and Kalanguya tribes, I have witnessed the vibrant culture and traditions of these humble people.
This inspired me to learn more about our vanishing cultural practices and traditions. As a native, it agonized me to see these treasures fade over time, which ignited my passion to advocate for traditional tattooing as a shared culture from other indigenous tribes.
Apo Anno is one of the best-preserved mummies of Benguet, with tattoos covering his body. The intricate designs of "Burik" and patterns derived from nature amazed me and fueled my advocacy to promote and share this tradition, not just with my fellow countrymen but with the world through various platforms. This is how my story started, and I hope you can join me in the success of cultural preservation amidst modernization.
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