10/05/2023
Kalikopuanoheaokalani Aiu (left) joins others in offering support to Hercules Goss-Kuehn (center) during a batok ceremony, a cultural and healing art of Indigenous Filipino tattooing that honors lineage and ancestry. “Our visibility and rightful place as cultural practitioners is critical for our survival and continued practice of our living traditions," says Julz Bolinayen S. Ignacio (far right). Ignacio’s ceremonies are centered around and led by those within māhū and adjacent communities. “Uplifting people from our interwoven communities is important to show our continued existence," Ignacio says. "Our revered roles as cultural bearers, medicine keepers, and healing practitioners give us the ability to traverse beyond binary gender roles and embody multitudes.