#bocanje

[katandbirds]

A work in progress since January 2026.

A4 | Clipstudio Paint

[nemanjak]

[doro-tattoo]

Kolo . So, apparently, there's a Croatian diaspora in Indonesia. And then, you know, some of them found me here. Totally normal. Katya wanted to finally mark this part of her heritage and chose Kolo. The wheel. The mystery of fate, according to medieval interpretations of this symbol.  . The tradition of tattooing in Croatian Dalmatia (but largely in today's Bosnia and Herzegovina) is said to originate from the time of Ottoman expansion on the territory. They were amulets tattooed predominantly on young girls by female elders in ritual settings on holy days. The purpose was protection from Ottoman kidnaping and enslavement. The tattoos were an ethnic identifier and a reminder of Christian faith, for the wearer and for the kidnapper. . The motives, however, mostly consist of organic and natural symbols and some of the crosses used are not recognised as Christian. There’s reasons to believe the practice was appropriated from the older tattoo traditions of Illyrian tribes who used to inhabit the area.  . The ritual tattooing became a thing of fashion and some of us can still find our grandma's hands and faces adorned with ink. The fashion has skipped a generation but Millenials and Zoomers are reclaiming the tradition and marking their heritage. . I had previously created a little highlight with a bit of info on this tradition but I’d love to do proper research and create an extensive resource on the topic. This will obviously take time and effort so I still need to figure out the logistics but I’m excited to dive deeper into it. I will be sharing some info on how you can support this project in the near future.  . Hvala Katya, an honour to be entrusted with this marking. 💜🙏☸️

[nemanjak]