Document Type
Article
Source
Journal of Occupational Science
Publication Date
8-18-2022
Volume
30
Issue
3
First Page
363
Last Page
376
Department
Occupational Therapy
Abstract
Batok (also known as Fatek/Burik/Tatak/Batek/Patik) is an Indigenous Filipino tattooing practice where the practitioner marks the skin by hand-tapping the ink using bone/wood implements. Previous research on tattooing from an occupational science perspective has considered European tattooing and its engagement and implication on the individual. This qualitative research explores how batok is experienced by the person and their identified community. Three Filipino participants with batok, and four family or community members were interviewed. Thematic analysis highlighted three themes recognized as Kapwa, Revealing One’s Batok, and Decolonization and Reclamation as a Cultural Practice. These themes are situated in the lens of a collective occupation and encapsulate the experience of the batok process among individuals with batok and their family/community members. Findings support the conceptualization of batok as a resistive collective occupation. This research provides deeper insight into the collective occupation of Indigenous cultural practice, with the potential to expand occupational science’s understanding of decolonizing occupations.
Publisher Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Occupational Science on August 18, 2022, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2110145