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The hand-tap tattoo revival
By IME MORALES
Traditional hand-tapping instruments. Photo by Ime Morales
I have an 18-year old tattoo on my back. It was done by tattoo artist Mike Sambajon one wicked night long ago when I was barely out of my teens. The design was unfinished, however, and I have always waited for the perfect time to complete the picture.
It finally came some days ago—with so many years in between and much of life happening so quickly, the tattoo had been forgotten—when a friend invited me to watch a hand-tapping session in Katribu Tatu, a small tattoo shop in Pasig. It was an incredible, almost spiritual experience just watching the hand-tap tattooist rhythmically strike the instrument with a wooden stick. I knew right there that my old tat was going to get finished soon, the hand-tap way.
Manila’s only hand-tap tattoo artists
Katribu Tatu's Jonathan Cena. Photo courtesy of Katribu Tatu
“If you want to experience it the traditional Filipino way, we’ll hand-tap your tattoo,” says Jonathan. “Machine is faster, you get a tattoo in minutes,” Jean adds. But an artist’s skill would really come out in hand-tapping since there is no relying on the machine. In Jean’s words, “it’s all in the pulse—you’ll tap the instrument yourself and control the depth and speed of the movements.”
Philippine tattoo culture
Katribu Tatu's Jean Sioson at work. Photo by Ime Morales
As a visual artist and cultural worker, Jonathan decided to focus on the art of tattooing. “The art that I do is connected to our culture—and when your culture is permanently tattooed on your skin, you can’t forget your roots wherever you go.”
Blessings of Apo Whang Od
The author gets her first hand-tapped piece from Katribu Tatu. Photo by Jean Sioson
“We showed her our tools and she told us to continue our work,” Jean recalls. It was a form of blessing. In her overwhelmed gladness, Jean actually cried. “To see her in person, talk to her, get a tattoo from her…” she trails off. “She asked what kind of charcoal and thorn we were using, and even suggested that we could use thorns from the calamansi plant if suha is not available,” Jean says. Apo Whang Od even taught them the proper and easier way to hold the wooden instruments.
Hurts so good
If you can take the pain of heartbreak, you can take the pain of a tattoo—a hackneyed phrase for many tattoo lovers, but nevertheless true. I lay on my tummy and felt the initial sting from the needle as Jean tapped along the design on my skin. The tapping went on for three hours as the skin became raw, red and sore. A few times, I fell in between sleep and wakefulness, actually feeling rather relaxed from the rhythmic throbbing. We finished past midnight and I felt complete.
In a few days, I’m getting another one. This time on my leg. — VC, GMA News
If you’re interested in getting tattooed the traditional way, try hand-tap. You can find Katribu Tatu on Facebook.
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