I am Filipino, and while I was in grad school, 2019 to 2023, I wanted to commemorate my time, and during that time I got married. There was a lot of transition. We’re also always working on decolonializing so, I was doing a lot of research on Filipino tattoos. And I went to this place in Southern California that specializes in Filipino tattoos, so a spiritual journey.
Each panel represents something different. This top part, it’s called the Binakael like a weaving pattern, where the family is woven together. A fern for healing, I’m a therapist. My artist, he just freehanded this as I was telling him a little bit about me. Stars was, I think, just an add-on, but my wife has a star tattoo on her neck. I didn’t tell him that, but he just put stars on there. Snakeskin for transformation and protection. Crocodile teeth for your spirit protection also. These patterns are rice fields for fertility. And a river back there for my grandfather, his family’s from a river tribe.
Traditionally Filipino women have their arms tattooed and their chest. So, because I had this one, recently, I want to do my arms and my chest for her, but money and time.
The Ink Story 
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