Ate Wamz Touches Down in Vienna

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Vienna, 17 July 2025 — On 17 July 2025, the vibrant cultural journey of Ate Wamz—the renowned indigenous tattoo artist and cultural bearer—began in Vienna. ENFiD‑Austria warmly welcomed her with a Bienvenida Dinner featuring a Tattoo Session, a fitting homage to her craft as a mambabatok, preserving the Batok (traditional hand-tap tattoo) tradition of the Philippine Cordilleras.

Ate Wamz, also known as Wilma Gaspili, hails from the Kankana-ey/Kalanguya tribes of Benguet and has been a passionate cultural ambassador since 2018. Her work is deeply rooted in ancestral techniques, utilizing lemon-thorn tools hand-tapped with soot-and-spring-water ink from Mt. Pulag—a sacred Cordillera mountain—to create designs that celebrate identity, status, and spiritual connection.

A Cultural Odyssey Across Central Europe

This Bienvenida is the opening salvo of an expansive cultural tour that spans Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and a possible leg in Germany.

More than just a tour, this journey is a demonstration of force and solidarity among ENFiD member countries—a vibrant display of cooperation and shared cultural pride between ENFiD-Austria, ENFiD-Czech Republic, ENFiD-Hungary, and ENFiD-Germany, fully supported by ENFiD.

Austria Highlights

Barrio Fiesta (19 July): Ate Wamz will dazzle audiences with live tattooing and storytelling that brings Cordilleran heritage to life.
Community engagements include Filipino organizations such as Igorot Austria, Rambak Austria, Verein Filipina Austria, and many more.
Meet and Greet + Workshop at the United Nations

Diplomatic Courtesy Calls

ENFiD-Austria is also facilitating official courtesy calls to the Philippine Embassies in Austria, Hungary, and Germany. Meanwhile, ENFiD-Czech Republic is coordinating a courtesy call to the Philippine Embassy in the Czech Republic, connecting indigenous culture with diplomatic presence and recognition.

United Nations Meet & Greet + Workshop

A special workshop and cultural exchange will be held at the United Nations in Vienna, where members of the Vienna International Centre Club Filipino (VIC CF), Folklorico Filipino Austria (FFA), Filipino Visual Artists in Austria (FVAA), Igorot Austria (IA), Rambak Austria, Ilonggo Community in Austria, as well as members of international organizations including: International Cultural Diversity Organization (ICDO), Women’s Federation for World Peace(WFWP), United Nations Correspondents Association Vienna (UNCAV), Universal Peace Federation (UPF), United Nations Women’s Guild (UNWG), European Police Association (EPA), and MENA Editors Network, are invited to interact, learn, and celebrate cultural identity in a global context.

About Ate Wamz: Guardian of Ancestral Identity

Source: website: Ate Wamz

Ate Wamz champions traditional tattooing as a means to promote cultural awareness, healing, and preservation.
Her signature style features ancestral Cordilleran symbols, such as those found on the ancient mummy Apo Anno, keeping the sacred visual language alive.
Her philosophy is profoundly spiritual: Indigenous tattoo artists are “guardians of great ancestral traditions”, and her mission is to reconnect people with their roots, often by using ink sourced from their homelands.

Ancestral Ink Meets Global Voice

This cultural odyssey is more than skin deep—it is a celebration of identity, solidarity, and resilience, echoing across four countries, embassies, and institutions. As Ate Wamz brings the beat of the lemon-thorn to Vienna and beyond, she weaves together the old and the new, inspiring a generation to wear their heritage with pride.

The presence of Ate Wamz in Central Europe—amplified by the collaboration of ENFiD’s member countries—cements the role of Filipino diaspora networks as cultural stewards and global connectors. More information about ENFiD: https://enfid.org/

Let the journey begin.

Photos: Minnie Langer, Sonia Zerrudo

About the Author

Maria Zelda “Marizel” Rojas is a Board Member of the United Nations Correspondents Association Vienna (UNCAV), Chairperson of the European Network of Filipino Diaspora-Austria (ENFiD-Austria) and a current ENFiD Adviser. She is also the 1^st Vice President of the United Nations Women’s Guild (UNWG), a member of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), Treasurer of the VIC Music Club and Activities Coordinator of the VIC Art Club. In additions she is a Founding Member and former President of the Philippine Austrian Cultural and Educational Society (PACES), Adviser and former President of the Vienna International Centre Club Filipino (VIC CF), Liaison for the Philippines and Councillor of the European Police Association (EPA), and a member awardee of the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN).