Abstract
Tattooing, in terms of both practice and tattoo design, has become a significant component of popular global culture and the focus of anthropological studies worldwide (for example, Gell, 1993; Allen, 2005; Kuwahara, 2005; Thomas et al, 2005). Tattoos also played a role in twentieth century identity politics (De Mello, 2000; Atkinson, 2003) and they take on a similar role within the Filipino diaspora. This paper examines how diasporic Filipinos are turning to tattoos, and tattoo designs from the Kalinga ethnic group in particular, to formulate specific expressions of cultural authenticity and identity. Appropriating such tattoos reinvents a Filipino tradition as a way of sustaining and reshaping ties to a newly imagined homeland.
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