Whang Od Oggay (1917) is known as the oldest manual tattoo artist in the Philippines and the last mambabatok tattooist (Kalinga tattooist) from the Butbut tribe in Buscalan, Kalinga.
It is known that this woman is now 105 years old and the first time she performed the art of tattooing manually was when she was just a 15-year-old girl.
Hand-made tattooing with only simple tools such as a bamboo stick and pomelo thorn, she has been and continues to create tattoos with her enthusiasm.
Decades on, this 100-plus-year-old woman is still passionate about handmade tattoos. Each knock on the tattoo thorn imprinted on the skin made countless domestic and international guests admire.
It is known that this place still regularly welcomes thousands of visitors every year to meet a special person. None other than Whang Od Oggay, the oldest tattooed woman in the Philippines, aka a “mambabatok”.
Being a famous tattoo artist not only in the Philippines but also around the world. Every day, every hour, hundreds of tourists come from elsewhere and have to drive another 15 hours north of Manila to the mountain village of Buscalan hidden behind forests and rice terraces to get a tattoo from a legend. phone.
Mrs. Whang-od is the last generation to have tattoos that are full of traditional tattoos and is one of the few to remember how they were done.
She wakes up at 5:30 a.m. every morning and begins her day’s work by preparing tools for tattooing guests, and will try to complete 14 tattoos by noon.
Although at the age of retirement, this 100-year-old grandmother still lives by her passion and enthusiasm every day in a “positive” way.
However, getting a tattoo from Mrs. Whang-od is really not easy. The 105-year-old tattoo artist has his own set of rules for himself and his clients. You are not the one to choose the tattoo, it is Mrs Whang-od who decides if you really deserve it and only gets what she wants.
However, this does not cause discomfort for customers who want to own a tattoo from her, on the contrary, they are very happy to receive that gift.
Whang-od has a thin, slightly hunched figure but is still extremely strong with tattoos covering her body.
Along her collarbone and from her shoulder blades to the backs of her hands are tattoos adapted from the skin textures of snakes, pythons and caterpillars – Kalinga’s symbols of protection – strength. In addition, she has small tattoos that fit in the wrinkles on her chin and forehead.
Previous tattoos in the Philippines are like other places, they have not really received the support and attention from many people.
And then, the tattoo artist more than 100 years old also had to struggle with life both to make a living and to retain the ancient cultural values.
However, after participating in the documentary series of American anthropologist Lars Krutak in 2009, Ms. Whang-od immediately became the focus, sought after by tourists everywhere.
At this time, concerned with preserving culture, the burden comes from the tattoos on her body, Mrs. Whang-od is now extremely relieved because more people are known, the tradition of tattooing is also attracted the attention of Kalinga youth and wanted to study more.
Visitors to the tattoo said: “The tattoo from Miss Od is very different from modern tattoos, it looks like a drawing created in ancient times.”
Talking about the history of tattooing in the Philippines, Ms. Whang-od said that a century ago, tattoos for Kalinga women tattooed drawings on their skin as a way of beauty and each different type of drawing represented. for different status among women.
And Kalinga men are only allowed to draw tattoos when they have resounding victories in many special festivals.
Whang-od has always wondered about preserving this cultural tradition, but the main obstacle is that this traditional tattoo technique can only be passed on to people related by blood. Although Whang Od had no children of her own, she taught her grandchildren the technique of neck tattooing, continuing this tradition.
