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Batok: The Exploration Of Indigenous Filipino Tattooing As A Resistive Collective Occupation, Chelsea Ramirez, Karen Mccarthy, Ana Cabalquinto, Carmela Dizon, Mai Santiago

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

Batok (also known as Fatek/Burik/Tatak/Batek/Patik) is an Indigenous Filipino tattooing practice where the practitioner marks the skin by hand-tapping the ink using bone/wood implements. Previous research on tattooing from an occupational science perspective has considered European tattooing and its engagement and implication on the individual. This qualitative research explores how batok is experienced by the person and their identified community. Three Filipino participants with batok, and four family or community members were interviewed. Thematic analysis highlighted three themes recognized as Kapwa, Revealing One’s Batok, and Decolonization and Reclamation as a Cultural Practice. These themes are situated in the lens of …