Lane Wilcken

Lane Wilcken is the author of "Filipino Tattoos Ancient to Modern" -and- "The Forgotten Children of Maui." He is also a contributing author to "Back from the Crocodile's Belly: Philippine Babaylan Studies and the Struggle for Indigenous Memory." Lane is also an artisan of ancient technology & art, widely recognized by the Filipino-American community as a "mambabatok," a cultural tattoo practitioner using ancient techniques. Lane was also a former Co-Director of the Center for Babaylan Studies, & the Editor-in-Chief of 808ink, Hawaii's premier tattoo magazine.

Lane was born from a native Ilokana mother from the both Ilocos regions in the Philippines and an American father of English and Scandinavian descent. Lane's maternal family was well acquainted in the traditional spiritual practices of the Philippines, his grandmother was a mangngilut (midwife and healer) and communicator with ancestral spirits. His great-great grandmother was a mangnganito or spirit medium. His grandfather understood the oral traditions & practices of the past. At an early age Lane was interested in mythology & other cultural practices which are the foundation of indigenous Filipino tattooing.

In his childhood Lane was taught by his parents through metaphors and analogies. His related interest in symbolism was expanded while attending Southern Utah University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with a focus in Symbolic Interactionism and a Minor in Communications. Lane's unique heritage, upbringing, and schooling have given him an uncommon insight into various aspects of his ancestry, such as oral traditions, spiritual belief systems and tattoos.

Lane has been researching the indigenous past of the Philippines and the Pacific Islands for more than two decades. His methodology incorporates oral tradition; written history, linguistics, personal experience and cross-cultural analysis with other Austronesian peoples to bring a fuller understanding of the origins and culture of the peoples of the Philippines. His interest in cultural tattooing was borne out of a desire to strengthen cultural pride among Filipinos and to reunite Filipinos symbolically and spiritually with their estranged ancestors. Lane has given presentations and lectures on the tattooing and other cultural traditions of the Philippines at several universities and private forums. His audience has included social clubs, university professors, students, and scholars.

"Tattooing represents the cumulative understanding of our indigenous world view. I believe that when we understand the depth of wisdom and spirituality associated with our tattooing, many of the destructive flaws in our cultural psyche caused by colonization can be healed. We will be able to accept the past, forgive the mistakes of others and move forward in united strength with our ancestors and posterity." -Lane Wilcken