WORDS BY: GELO GONZALES
January 7, 2010 | 2538 views
A couple decades ago in the Philippines, getting your body inked was borderline taboo.
We could imagine a teenager from the '80s making his lola privy to thoughts of getting a tattoo, and getting a reply along the lines of: “Ano ka, galing bilibid?”
Though we bet your lola still wouldn't approve of it, things have thankfully changed today. People are generally less hostile towards tattoos nowadays, and a bunch of tattoo-oriented shows such as Miami Ink, and its spin offs London Ink, and LA Ink should only accelerate the process of its mainstream acceptance further.
But do these reality shows actually go more than skin deep? They’re edgy shows yes, but the drama in these show are of the traditional reality TV fare. Discovery Channel’s Tattoo Hunter isn’t one of these shows.
Tattoo Hunter is hosted by Lars Krutak, a tattoo anthropologist, who has made it his life work to uncover the age-old traditions of body modification rituals in various tribes around the world.
In his show, he seeks to find the deeper meaning behind the amazing tattoos and body modifications unique to each tribe. Lars is a pretty brave soul, venturing out to seek the company of strange tribes, some of which have a history of cannibalism and headhunting.
