In a conference room at the United Nations Headquarters
The workshop, titled “From Pintados to the cover of Vogue,” was the result of a collaboration with ENFiD, by cultural Marizel Rojas and Charmaine Taus, who believed that conversations like these needed to echo beyond the diaspora.
The Pintados
As Charmaine stood, her own tattoos peeking from under her sleeves, each mark a thread in the larger fabric of her identity. She began with a story — of pre-colonial Filipino Warriors, whose bodies were canvases of inked bravery. “Tattoos weren’t just decoration,” she said, her voice weaving through the room like a gentle tide. “They were records — of battles fought, journeys taken, spirits honored.”
The attendees, a diverse group of cultural enthusiasts, tattoo artists, historians, and curious onlookers, leaned in.
Charmaine spoke about symbols — centipedes for protection, scorpion for intimidation, lines that mapped out genealogies and spiritual journeys. “Each mark had meaning, and that meaning was understood by the community. It wasn’t just personal art; it was collective history.”
How do we honor this heritage without turning it into a trend stripped of meaning?
Charmaine raised a challenging question, the room stirred, some spoke about the danger of commercialization, of indigenous art becoming just another aesthetic in mainstream tattoo studios. Others saw hope — the younger generation reviving the practice, adapting the ancient language of ink into stories of migration, displacement, and pride.
Marizel Rojas added her voice, reminding the room that ENFiD’s mission was to help Filipinos abroad stay rooted while soaring in new lands.
The workshop ended with Charmaine inviting attendees to create their own symbolic designs — not to appropriate, but to honor. Starting with a story, a memory, or a prayer. The participants left not only with ideas, but with a deeper understanding of the responsibility that comes with carrying culture on their skin.