Spiritual Journey Tattoo & Tribal Gallery

I.G. spiritualjourneytattoo
Apat-na-alon-tribe.com
circa 2007 Tabuk, Kalinga Province.

This is one of the GREATEST HONOR BESTOWED upon me when APO WHANG-OD OGGAY talk with us at Tabuk, Kalinga ((before she went viral and world famous in 2010 til the present)) in 2007 at the Tabuk City, Kalinga Province 2nd Annual Batok Festival!!

Apo Whang-od was asking around about us at the festival if we're the ones that's been tattooing some of the elders she tattooed in the past. so when i found out she was coming to talk to me the jig was up =) i was a bit intimidated but was honest with her and told her, " yes i did "... I thought at first she will be mad but that big smile on her face said otherwise. How great was it when she said to me, that she was very much impressed with us (4 Waves tribe), what we do and what i been doing so far with reviving the old arts. (She knew about us because 4 Waves Tribe was established in 1997 and no one else have done what we been doing at that time) And she loved that we were so young but interested in learning and getting so much tattoos that were considered taboo. She mentioned that no one nowdays practice the old ways of tattooing that's why its refreshing to see younger people like my group tattooed. The only ones she see's in the present are her peers 80yr old and up. And the younger kalingas who are 50 and younger are so detached from this specific practice that they have lost appreciation of the tattoos beauty and spirit. She was very excited and kept saying "pintas, pintas!" (beautiful, beautiful!) To me and the others that are tattooed..

She looked at my many traditional replica tools i made/carved and i showed her all different methods of tattooing from different regions of the philippines. She literally picked up each and every individual tool to examine and then tada!! She grinned when she found a tool she felt aligned with (unbeknownst to me what was about to happen). Seeing me being so young with a full on Bikking (kalinga chest tattoo) and knowing that i'm a traditional tattooist also, she was inspired that there is actual hope that the art will keep going. She was very interested to see more of the tattoos i did on other tribe members. she said "the tattoos looks good on you guys! Do you want to tattoo me?" ( asking me in her native tongue of course ) as she throws the suggestion a little bit shy joking around 🙂..!? I was not sure if she was sarcastic lol but sure enough the translator said she is very serious.

She was impressed and proud that 4 Waves Tribe organization 🇵🇭✊🏾🌊🌊🌊🌊✊🏾🇵🇭 main focus is helping to restore and revive traditional tribal tattoos of ancient philippines. I guess that's what sealed the deal with her 🤝 .

i was so surprise and very nervous because, to ask me to finish up her traditional kalinga women's Bikking/Chaklag (torso tattoo) by closing its final piece, the back tattoo that bridges both sleeves to connect like how the front chest tattoo does. Completing her tats finally!! I was like woohoo 🎉!!! WOW 😱!! Imagine she got her tattoos in her early teens and never got her back finished until now 2007 and she's 90 something. then how long was that wait for her to decide she wants it now and by a stranger at that. ((Even the translator was shocked and said, "you know how much of an honor it is to finish her back tattoo right?? she will finally feel complete 80 or 70 years later and she picked you to finish it? You're real lucky!!"..))

what an HONOR right?? I ask what do you want me to tattoo on you?? she pick what she wanted that was already tattooed on my skin to put on her back. she said it will protect her.. like an arm resting on her back armoring her from bad spirits (so i'm a permanent bodyguard i guess lol). She mentioned so that my spirit is with her from now on.

So she asked for the bamboo handpoke tool instead of tapping... I asked why? her simple answer, "tapping hurts". She picked the hand poked method thinking it hurts less than tapping. So we proceeded to do the batok she mentions as she gets tattooed it hurts all the same **** Lol. She took it like a champ, well for a lady her age!! Just WOW 🤯 look at the picture she's just chillin like a boss (((this was way b4 she was world renowned. she started getting media traction in 2010 and internationally went viral beginning of 2011 til present day. Thanks to Lars Krutak who i consider a great friend that also helped Four Waves Tribe grow. he was responsible in promoting Apo Whang-od Oggay by putting her in a show called Tattoo Hunter in 2007. and in 2008 or 09 he comes out with a book "Kalinga Tattoos" featuring her and the kalinga peoples traditional tattoos. Then the year after that 2010 she blew up 🔥🎆🎇🧨🌏 ))). There was so many blessings during and after our first encounter for her and i, for her people and filipinos from all over world. The fading tattoo culture that was in its brink of extinction suddenly was nurtured again🙏🏾💯!!

(((side note many asked or hate on why i made the pattern so big on her upper back. Well she asked me to bcus her older tattoos she mentioned was so detailed that it is getting together already and the story in the marks are fading away. And she wanted this new one to grow old with its story bright and clear. She wants it big so it can be seen from a far. So i obliged.. the tattoo i did was not at all perfect bcus some twitching played a major role on the finished product. But no matter as long as she's happy with it.. i'm still in awe the fact she asked me :)... she probably thought she will not tattoo anymore and was closing that chapter in life. In some weird way the master passed the torch to me that day. She left me with a smile when i finished her tat and a few words of encouragement, a tap on the shoulder (obvious sign of thank you), turned to her friends excited, look back to give me another grin, a quick gaze at my tools before turning to her friends to show off her new tattoo and went back to join the festivities. I believe she felt that young people (me and others in my group) are proud in getting tattooed, breaking taboos by learning the old skills and that we can confidently pick up where she left off because she had faith and trust by closing that sacred area on her back feeling completed with the pattern she chose from my skin to hers.. that was her graceful goodbye she thought but fate had more in store)))

Present day edit::
Many seek her out in the present to get their tattoos but my experience, my oh my, i can proudly say i'm the only one she asked to tattoo her back then. Her grand niece Grace was still 12 at the time and was still learning (( Grace is such a master now )) it was a beautiful experience it really was!! ((so far from 2017 til recent i think 3 or 4 other people had a chance to do little tattoos on her like her apprentices but nothing as significant like the back tattoo that closed a chapter in her life or should i say opened a new chapter in her new journey. She did go on and got her well deserve recognition thanks to Lars Krutak)).. It was such an honor and i was very humbled to be her choice to finish her back an important piece of the puzzle that completed her traditional torso batok (tattoo). Now the bigger picture is shown with her sucess ❤❤🇵🇭✊🏾🌊🌊🌊🌊✊🏾🇵🇭

Contemporary Shoulder and full Arm sleeve tattoo freehanded by Jaz! 🔥 ✨ 🔥 ✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Contemporary Shoulder and Upper Arm tattoo freehanded by Zel! 🔥 ✨ 🔥 ✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Contemporary upper back tattoo freehanded by Jaz! 🔥 ✨ 🔥 ✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Traditional Mindinao Arm tattoo freehanded by Jaz! 🔥 ✨ 🔥 ✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Traditional Mindanao Upper Arm Tattoo freehanded by Jaz! 🔥✨🔥✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Contemporary Thigh Tattoo freehanded by Jaz! 🔥✨🔥✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Hybrid Contemporary and Traditional Full Sleeve Arm Tattoo freehanded by Joseph! 🔥✨🔥✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Traditional Half Sleeve tattoo with Luzon framework and Visayan patterns by Nate! 🔥✨🔥✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Contemporary Back Tattoo by Jaz! 🔥✨🔥✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.

Traditional Arm Band by Zel! 🔥✨🔥✨
Please do not copy any tattoos you see on this page. Each one is custom created for each client to tell their life story.