APTN’s Skindigenous show traces Indigenous tattoo traditions across the globe

Tattooing has never been more widely accepted than it is today, with bankers proudly displaying their full sleeves at work and tattoo parlours springing up even quicker than vape shops. As much as the art of tattooing has permeated popular culture, very little is known about the origins of tattooing and the deep cultural relevance of the art form. The Canadian production company Nish Media is out to broaden that awareness with Skindigenous, a 13-episode series on APTN focusing on Indigenous tattooing practices across the globe.

With episodes set in the Philippines and Indonesia to our own Alberta and Newfoundland, each entry focuses on the specific tattooing methods and cultural significance of one Indigenous tattoo artist keeping a tradition alive. The first episode, airing Tuesday, February 20th at 7:30 EST focuses on the world-renowned 100 year-old Whang Od Oggay. Located deep in the countryside of the Philippines, Whang Od Oggay is the oldest practitioner of the Kalinga tattooing tradition known as batok, consisting of intricate, inky black tattoo designs that she customizes for each recipient. In order to meet the huge demand and to ensure the tradition lives on, the episode focuses on Oggay passing on her techniques to her great-niece Grace Palicas, who has returned to her small village after living abroad. 

We caught up with Skindigenous co-director and Nish Media producer Jason Brennan to discuss the origins of the series, the misconceptions many people have about tattooing, and the Skindigenous app, an Indigenous tattooing “encyclopedia” that aims to connect artists and clients, while publicizing their art outside of their communities.

Skindigenous debuts Tuesday, February 20th at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN HD. For more information on the series, visit skindigenous.tv.

Bad Feeling Mag: Where did the initial idea for Skindigenous come from? 

Jason Brennan: I was working on a documentary in Thailand and our protagonist ended up wanting to get a Sak Yant (Traditional Thai Tattoo) and it got me wondering about our own Indigenous tattooing traditions. I started researching and that’s how I discovered Dion Kaszas, a traditional tattoo practitioner in BC who’s interior Salish. Dion is also a machine artist but recently started a master’s in Indigenous Tattooing Traditions. So discussions with Dion opened the door as he filled me in on a bunch of different Nations and Indigenous Tribes that tattooed their members.

BFM: How long have you been working on this show? With the amount of locations it’s quite a production.

JB: From conception to air date we are talking about 2 years. So to me that’s a pretty quick turnaround. Getting the financing was pretty easy and our broadcaster loved the idea so that got the ball rolling. The tough part was finding the right fixers for some of our locations. The people who knew the right people to get us where we wanted to go.

BFM: How did you go about selecting which subjects to profile?

JB: I did a lot of research and talked to Dion Kaszas who had done a lot of the work for himself here in Canada. He knew quite a bit of people, whether it was personally or knew of people. We also wanted to try to cover different locations around the world, so we started with a lot of the better known artists like The Sulu’ape family, Keone Nunez, Whang Odd, Dion Kazsas, Gordon Toi. I’m sure there’s so many more, but for our first run we wanted to go with the artists that have been around for quite some time and are or were part of reviving their ancestral traditions.

BFM: What do you think the biggest misconception about tattoo culture is?

JB: I think a lot of people still see tattooed people as wanting to rebel against mainstream society, or doing it as a way to stand out. A cry for attention, when in fact they are reclaiming part of who they are, or getting a tattoo to openly say something about themselves.

BFM: Does the increased interest in tattooing make it easier or more difficult for the subjects to continue their traditional methods?

JB: I think it makes it easier because more people want to reconnect with the culture and traditional tattooing is a way of doing it. The artists themselves though are required to have a tighter screening process, but all in all they are contributing to strengthening the bond that people want to have with their ancestry.

BFM: What do you hope the Skindigenous app will bring to the Indigenous tattooing community?

JB: We want to allow people to connect with artists that might be from their own Nation and we also want new artists to display their work for potential clients. It’s a connection tool, an “encyclopedia,” and when people will scroll it will help share the many different cultures and designs that have existed for so long.

Skindigenous debuts Tuesday, February 20th at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN HD. For more information on the series, visit skindigenous.tv.