This tattoo came from Joseph of Fullerton. This is his grandfather’s name. As seen, Filipino grandson really cherished and love their “lolo’s and lola’s.” Need not to say more.

For more information about Tha Kuya, you can visit their site at http://www.thakuya.com.

Jesse (Southern Cailfornia)
by Tiki Tattoo in Lacey, WA 

Are we really related?

If you go online and use the words Filipino and Polynesian as keywords, you’ll actually find out that Filipinos are being questioned as to whether have Polynesian lineage as well since we have the same resemblance. Some say we are and others say there’s no connection at all. A number of blabbermouths argues that we are both.

The truth is, Filipinos are Asians but also geographically located in the Pacific Ocean or Oceana (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia) in which inhabitants are called Pacific Islanders. And so, since our country lies within the boundaries of Pacific Ocean, did just make us Pacific Islanders or Polynesians? No. Though Philippines is located within the boundaries of Pacific Ocean, it isn’t a part of Oceania. Polynesia is polys or many and nesos or island and not many Asians just like some of us believe.

Noel F. (Manama, Bahrain)
Pinoy Pride by SpillN-ink Tattoos
“The design was originally for my right forearm. One day, a Fil-Am asked me that he wanted a tat to represent his roots. I showed him the sketch and there it was.”

No it’s not the grouper fish. It’s the great Lapu-Lapu, then king of Mactan, whom you can see in the middle.

Regarded as the first Filipino hero, Lapu-Lapu is the first native who resisted Spanish colonization by Spanish soldiers when its leader—ironically, a Portuguese—Ferdinand Magellan set foot to the Philippine Islands year 1521. Though the Muslim chieftain was killed along with his men during the Battle of Mactan, he will always be remembered as a hero.

Having sad those, Lapu-Lapu can be seen as a central figure in the official seal of the Philippine National Police. His figure was also use in one of the now-defunct one centavo coins. A type of grouper fish which can only be found in the country is named after him. Believe it or not, but an alcoholic drink was also named in his honor.

So when you say Lapu-Lapu, it isn’t only the fish. He’s a hero worthy of admiration.

Wilson (Red Deer Ab, Canada)
The sun and the three stars tribal tattoo with a basketball
by Pleasure N’ Pain

It isn’t Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao neither the Pinoy rap icon Francis Magalona’s contribution to the local scene that the insignia three stars and a sun represents. It’s the juncture of Filipinos’ approaches to nationalism. Yes, the height of popularity of this insignia was the Master Rapper’s death, but one can just simply translate its now-reputation into, “hey, I am a proud Filipino.”

English are very much involved with football. Americans has soccer. Brazilians enjoy volleyball. Filipinos’ passion for sport lies in basketball. One can find basketball courts in every street corner flooded with aficionados either playing or watching.

The sport equestrian and the red dragon from Wales’ flag don’t look good together. Thanks to the artist that the idea of the tattoo above was resembled adeptly.

This beautiful looking tattoo (She looks like Reese Witherspoon) is the Hail Mary prayer in Baybayin. The translation was probably sourced from the “1st” book printed in the Philippines, the Doctrina Christiana in 1593. Some say that’s when Baybayin was used as a tool to control us and therefore inappropriate as a “tribute” tattoo unless your OK with being a conquered people. What do you think?

By Pete’s on Earth

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PS: Sorry for the sparse updates. I’ve been busy preparing for the Spring/Summer Filipino Festival tour here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have a couple of new products in store. Additionally, I’m in the process of hiring a blogging assistant.

Are you a Filipino Tattoo artist? Get added to the directory

Here’s a good looking shoulder tattoo with the American made Filipino hero, Jose Rizal with the Philippine Sun with eight rays. I find this odd for the following reasons:

Jose Rizal was a conformist. He did not want to join the revolution to oust the Spanish. He actually wanted the group of islands named the Philippines to become a province of Spain.
The “Philippine” Sun’s eight rays represent the eight provinces that rebelled against Spain.

Again, is this tattoo representative of the duality of the so-called Filipino, misunderstanding of history, or blind pride? What do you think? Read something I wrote about 10 years ago on this subject after the jump….

Did you know that it was the Americans who made Rizal our national hero? In 1901 the Governor of the so-called Philippines, William Howard Taft suggested to the Philippine Commission that we so-called Filipinos be given a national hero. He boldly states,

“And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero.” “Taft with other American colonial officials and some conservative Filipinos, chose him (Rizal) as a model hero over other contestants – Aguinaldo too militant, Bonifacio too radical, Mabini unregenerate.”*

Charles Bohlen, one-time ambassador to the Philippines, described Taft’s motivations like this: “Taft quickly decided that it would be extremely useful for the Filipinos to have a national hero of their revolution against the Spanish in order to channel their feelings and focus their resentment backward on Spain. But he told his advisers that he wanted it to be someone who really wasn’t so much of a revolutionary that, if his life were examined too closely or his works read too carefully, this could cause us any trouble. He chose Rizal as the man who fit his model.”**

There is no doubt that Rizal was a great man and was unjustly murdered. But by elevating him to national hero, we neglect the other great men. In school, media, government and etc we hear Rizal this, Rizal that, until our ears bleed. What about our heroes who advocated independence for us? Rizal pointed out problems in the Spanish colonial society, but he did not want to drive out the Spanish. He never wanted independence for the so-called Philippines. That was the important factor because it would be a contradiction for the so-called Filipino people to advocate independence from the USA. He did not join Bonifacio and Katipunan. He was a conformist. He wanted better conditions for so-called Filipinos under Spanish rule. Taft also picked Rizal because he was already dead and he could not speak against the American neocolonialism.

Every aspect of so-called Filipino live is infested by our colonial and neocolonial past, even our heroes have become used against us.

*Between Two Empires by Theodore Friend, 1965, p.16
**Portrait of A Cold Warrior by Joseph B. Smith, 1976, p.283

Click through for more photos.

Rupert is the lead vocalist of Eskapo – a Filipino punk band here in the bay area. He’s also a performer who was awarded the best spoken word artist by East Bay Express.

Inked by Mel Vera Cruz