Fangs Against Fascists: The Story Behind the Tiger
Field Notes, Entry Two
Fangs Against Fascists, © Jeni Jenkins | Renegade Babe™ | 2025
Fangs Against Fascists: A Lineage of Protection
The tiger first claimed me in 2022—my personal “Year of the Tiger.”
I marked that chapter with a tiger tattoo on my left arm, a permanent reminder of stepping into my power and reclaiming my voice. Recently, through a moment of synchronicity with a new friend who carries the same mark in the same place, the tiger resurfaced. It came back louder. Sharper. Demanding to be drawn.
I followed that pull into the archives of history and myth.
Across Asia, the tiger is rarely just a predator; it is a guardian.
In Chinese tradition, the White Tiger protects the West.
In Korean lore, the tiger disrupts evil and restores balance.
But it was the Hindu goddess Durga who anchored this piece.
Durga is invoked when injustice rises. She confronts the forces that prey upon women, communities, and the innocent—and she rides a tiger into battle. Her tiger is not a pet or an ornament. It is the embodiment of her unstoppable will. I read this story and I knew what I needed to create.
Fangs Against Fascists was born from that lineage.
This artwork is a reminder that the tiger is not an agent of chaos but a shield—standing between the vulnerable and those who would crush them.
In a political era where fascism disguises itself in new forms and communities are once again under threat, the tiger returns to remind us of our collective teeth.
This piece is my offering to that lineage. A reminder that resistance is sacred work, and sometimes protecting your peace requires showing your fangs.
