The art of batok and the revival of Filipino tribal tattoo culture - ABC Asia (2024)

The Filipino art of tattooing, or batok, may not be as well known as the Polynesian or Maori tribal tattoo traditions, but after nearly being lost in the late 19th century, it's experiencing a revival.

Batok is a general term for indigenous tattoos of the Philippines, meaning "to hit" or "to tap", and master tattoo artists and cultural practitioners of the art are known as "mambabatok".

Until a few years ago, anyone in Australia seeking a traditional hand-tapped tattoo from a practising mambabatok would have had to travel to the Philippines, but now it's a shorter trip to Sydney, where tattoo artist Wilson Arbis has dedicated himself to being the first mambabatok operating in the country.

"My interest came about from just wanting to reconnect and learn my history and FIlipino culture," he said.

"I think that's a very important thing — reclaiming and reviving our culture through tattooing."

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Similar to other indigenous practices across the Pacific, such as Samoan tatau, batok designs are applied using traditional or modified tools to tap the pigment into the skin by hand.

Arbis said both cultures shared a common ancestry, from the seafaring Austronesian people who originated in Taiwan and sailed south through the Philippines and further on to parts of Micronesia, Polynesia and South-East Asia thousands of years ago.

"I believe that's part of the reason why a lot of the patterns and motifs cross over and relate. They even look quite similar in the way it's done."

The art of batok and the revival of Filipino tribal tattoo culture - ABC Asia (1)

Returning to the roots

Arbis knew he wanted to be a tattoo artist even before he migrated to Australia at the age of 13.

"I was in a shopping mall in Baclaran with my grandmother and she lost me for about half an hour," he said.

"She found me inside a tattoo shop, just looking around and admiring the wall. I told myself from then on, 'I'm going to become a tattoo artist'."

Arbis said he started working toward that goal as soon as he could, using his first tax return to buy a tattoo machine from eBay to practice on himself and his friends.

Less than a year later, he was an apprentice at a tattoo shop in Cronulla, and he spent the next decade building up his portfolio and experience in shops across Sydney.

It was around this time that the world was starting to learn about Apo Whang-Od, a female mambabatok widely considered a living legend in the Philippines, and her work motivated Arbis to reconnect with his ancestral roots.

"Especially after seeing and being inspired by Apo, I wanted to really follow and practice this art form, so that it doesn't die down," he said.

An ancient practice finds revival

While a majority of clients seeking batok designs tend to be of Filipino descent, Arbis said he had been receiving more inquiries from people of all backgrounds lately.

Many have been drawn to his custom designs, which are inspired by traditional tribal styles and incorporate Australian flora and fauna.

When ABC Asia visits Arbis at Sydney's Thirteen Feet Tattoo one afternoon, he's busy putting the finishing touches on a praying mantis for Adam Greer, who came across Arbis and his work at a tattoo expo.

He now has four batok pieces — the mantis, a rooster, a scorpion and a turtle.

"I've always been curious on the tapping, the batok," Greer said.

"I was surprised, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it was going to."

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Gabrielle Merritt, who had two pieces done earlier that day, agreed: "It's pretty comparable to a machine."

Merritt found Arbis on Instagram and was immediately interested in his work, having never seen the Filipino style before.

She shows off her new batok — a frog on one forearm and a spider on the other.

"In my family, my grandma used to call my grandpa her frog prince, so I've always wanted a frog tattoo," she explained.

"And spiders are pretty Australian."

Arbis is keen for batok to become as well-known as other traditional styles such as Thai sak yant, Japanese tebori or Maori tāmoko, and says their popularity has helped create a new path forward for Filipino tattoos.

"For the art form to evolve, and for it to be recognised, you have to share it," Arbis said.

"You can't gatekeep something and expect it to become mainstream."

"Everybody should be able to get Filipino tattoos."

The art of batok and the revival of Filipino tribal tattoo culture - ABC Asia (2024)
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