Cultural Commodification: What is and isn’t
When people first heard of Whang Od, the nation’s famous Kalinga artist, coming down to Metro Manila to demonstrate pambabatok – the traditional Kalinga tattooing process that uses a charcoal-tint-dipped sharp thorn attached to the top of a 12-inch bamboo stick – numerous voices filtered out from the internet calling out the people responsible for bringing her to Manila.
All because of one photo of the aged mambabatok resting during a conference, people have blown the story completely out of proportion.
People were outraged at having seen this old woman be brought down from her place to this urban jungle and “be forced to perform her art against her will.”
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone is obsessed with commercialization and money. Some people just want to help spread awareness about a particular cultural practice; some people just want to aim for cultural appreciation. These kinds of people – these are the people who approach traditional artists like Whang Od and ask them to travel all the way to Manila to educate the youth and the uninformed.
Besides wanting to showcase pambabatok, Whang Od was also more than curious to see Manila culture and its people.
Grace Palicas, Whang Od’s niece, said: “Pag nag-uusap kami (ni Whang-Od), gusto niya. Sabi ni lola, gusto niya rin daw makita ang Maynila. Sabi ko, kung gusto mo, sige para [ma - meet] din niya yung ibang kultura.”
Jumping to conclusions without initial thought is what ails our society’s evolving culture. It is the sickness of our nation, the tendency of our people to completely throw out their opinions in the open without research, without further knowledge regarding the situation. It is a growing senseless habit.
In the first place, the main reason why Whang Od is in the National Capital Region is because she agreed to go. The fact that netizens assumed that she allowed herself to be forcefully brought to Manila is offensive in and of its own thought. She is a hundred-year-old woman, fully of capable making her own decisions. Who are the people to decide for what tires her and what is detrimental to her culture? Who are the netizens to say that it’s wrong that she came down here when they stand behind their computer screens or mobile phones and have yet to talk to her?
Another to add to society’s growing list of dangerous traits is “professional outrage,” which is when a person is vicariously outraged or offended for another individual, or in common situations, another race.
If anything, it was a good idea that she came to Manila and showed the people the intricate tattoos she’s capable of inking in the skin. It is of great contrast to see Whang Od, the last and oldest mambabatok, sitting on a plush white cushion in the middle of a brightly lit room in Metro Manila, showcasing one of the nation’s oldest forms of ink art. But it also a beautiful sight to see the old and the new blending in together.
With the fast-developing technology of today, it is so easy for the majority to forget about the rich history and cultural heritage of the Filipino nation. There are times when it’s easy to say that the nation has forgotten and has thrown away any remembrance of the past, but then museums and art galleries dedicated to displaying life during the Spanish, American, and Japanese colonization are built; there are people lining up waiting to be ‘inked-up’ by the nation’s oldest tattoo artist; there are intricate patterns made by Whang Od snaking up and decorating the modern citizen’s skin.
Suddenly, it’s so easy to say that the people have not forgotten its roots, that the Filipino people have not forgotten.