Wilma ‘Ate Wamz’ Gaspili, an indigenous tattoo artist from the Kankanaey-Kalanguya communities of Benguet and Ifugao, showcased traditional Cordillera tattooing at the Big London Tattoo convention, where she was the only indigenous Filipino exhibitor.
Gaspili, 48, said she was invited to the event after organizers took notice of her work through previous international appearances and a feature in the convention’s magazine last year.
‘They invited me after seeing the feedback from my work,’ she told BusinessMirror, adding that she has also participated in tattoo events in India.
While other Filipinos joined competitions during three-day London gathering that started September 4, Gaspili said she was the lone indigenous Filipino among the exhibitors.
‘Mag-isa lang ako as indigenous among exhibitors,’ she said.
Gaspili practices and promotes batok, Cordillera’s tattooing art using hand-tapping technique with thorn, bone or wood as needles and fine soot or charcoal as ink. Batok is popularized by Kalinga tattoo artist and National Living Treasure Apo Whang-Od.
‘Many people think Kalinga’s (batok) represents the whole Cordillera, but there are tattoo traditions in other parts of the region,’ she said.
Unlike many traditional practitioners, Gaspili said she did not learn the craft through apprenticeship.
‘Self-taught ako,’ she said. ‘There was no apprenticeship tradition for me.’
She considers herself part of efforts to revive traditional Benguet tattooing and introduce it to a wider audience.
Although comparisons with Whang-Od are common, Gaspili stressed that she has built her own path as an artist while honoring a shared indigenous heritage.
‘Whang-Od is a legend. I’m proud of what I represent as well,’ she said.
At the London convention, she used lemon thorns as needles. Her tattoo ink is made from ash collected from different parts of the Philippines, including Bicol, Cebu and Ilocos.
‘I collect ink from different places,’ she said, noting that clients appreciated receiving tattoos made with materials linked to their hometowns.
Among those who received her work was Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Teodoro ‘Teddyboy’ Locsin Jr. Gaspili tattooed a tikawa, or spider design, on the diplomat’s arm.
She said Locsin was the first ambassador to visit her booth at any of her previous international conventions.
‘Nakaka-proud,’ she said.
Beyond tattoo conventions, Gaspili said she has been invited to museums and universities in the United States and was also invited to the United Nations headquarters in Vienna in 2025. She plans to continue researching indigenous tattoo traditions during her stay in London.
According to Gaspili, international audiences in Europe, Canada and Australia have shown growing interest in indigenous Filipino tattoo traditions.
‘I think many people in the Philippines still don’t know much about it,’ she said. ‘That’s why it’s important to keep sharing our culture.’