Dont be surprised if some elder lady adorning a beautiful sleeve of kalinga tattoo walks past you topless while doing her chore. It is equal in rank with the national artist under the honors code of the philippines to recognize the supreme traditional artists in the philippines, the gawad sa. Whangod oggay also known as maria oggay, is a filipino tattoo artist from buscalan. What they dont tell you about getting a tattoo from. As apol discovered, at 93 years old fang od is still lively and active, taking care of. Fangod was away, so she went to one of her grandnieces.
What you need to know before getting a tattoo from apo. The journey begins with tattoo anthropologist dr lars krutaks first encounter with the last kalinga tattoo artist, the 91yearold whangod, and is followed by the moving poetry and song of tattooed kalinga author and elder natividad sugguiyao. Recognition for whangod to help preserve kalinga culture. Despite her popularity, preserving the rich kalinga art faces many setbacks. The philippines fierce kalinga tribe has just one remaining mambabatok, or master tattoo artist. How to get a tribal tattoo from the legendary whang od. Vene of ateneo with the ancient method she learned during her teen years. The last tribal tattoo artist of kalinga some cool netizens liked, commented, and shared this. She is increasingly fussy about who she tattoos, as is her right.
Once the sole preserve of tribal groups, the first known tattoos were an. He invited us to his place for breakfast before we hiked to buscalan where fangod lives. Fang od is part of the last line of traditional kalinga tattoo artists in the philippines. I wont stop until i get a tattoo from apo, she said, referring to ms. A group of young photographers journeyed to kalinga to tell her story. Why whangod for national artist a misguided campaign. Whang od oggay, who is roughly 100, a traditional tattoo artist in the philippines. The purpose of the batok festival was not only to celebrate the artistic achievements of kalinga tattoo artists and the beautifully adorned men and women in attendance, but to also recognize that this ancient 1,000 yearold cultural practice is vanishing along with the gatekeepers of knowledge associated with it. Once you have been tattooed, whang od will then tell you how much your tattoo costs it will probably be between 400 and pesos. Jake verzosa the last tattooed women of kallinga artbook. According to specialists this practice is about a thousand years old and was used. Buscalan is a hidden village in a mountain of the luzon island and the only way to arrive to this town of the kalinga province is walking an hour through treacherous tracks. The tattoo artists relatives said that whangod could earn as much as p5,000 a day given the stream of tourists.
Tabuk bound buses are available from kamias station. A more fitting recognition is gawad sa manlilikha ng bayan or the national living treasures. Fang od whang od and kalinga tattooing in the philippines fang od, or whang od there are varying spellings but both are pronounced the same, is the last of an ancient line of traditional kalinga tattoo artists in the. Perpetually shrouded in mist, the kalinga village of buscalan sits high up in the cordillera mountains of northern luzon, philippines. The thorn is attached into a bamboo stick which would then be repeatedly tapped by another bamboo stick until the desired design is tattooed on the skin. It was assumed for a while that the now 93 year old fang od would be the last, but her granddaughter has taken up the art and the traditional continues. Read on for more about whang od, the kalingas, and this fastdisappearing tradition of handtapped body art. Kalinga tattoo is the first book to tell the story of this incredibly rich tradition of indigenous body art that is believed to be 1,000 years old. The oldest traditional indigenous tattoo artist mambabatok in the kalinga province, philippines. Heres how to get a tribal tattoo from the legendary whang od, a kalinga tattoo artist.
You can choose to have whang od select the design and placement of the tattoo, as is traditional in kalinga culture, or you can choose it yourself from a board of designs in the village. Many of us are holed up at home, so cant think of a better time than now to read about tattoo history. Take a tabuk city bound bus from victory liner manila. Although all of the tattooed warriors are now gone, the village is teeming with tattooed elderly women that wear the artistry of the last kalinga tattoo artist. Fang od, who still plants rice at her age, uses the money she earns from tattooing to buy necessities and more land for farming. Netizens are pushing for the wrong category of award for apo whangod oggay, the 97year old traditional tattoo artist from kalinga. So there i was, right in the presence of whangod, the oldest mambabatok or traditional tattoo artist in the philippines.
When an arm of woman is tattooed just like whangods own tattoos, the family of the woman is obliged to pay the tattoo artist a piglet or bundle of. Coloring tattoos unique image the 28 best flame tattoo design 21 tribal tattoo meaning family from brooklyn to buscalan a journey to whang od what you need to know before getting a tattoo from apo whang whang od 125 tribal tattoos for me. Kalinga getting tattooed by whang od philippines on vimeo. If you are planning to go to buscalan anytime soon, here are few things you need to know before getting a tattoo from the oldest mambabatok traditional kalinga tattooist and national living treasure in the mountain of kalinga.
Fang od, or whang od there are varying spellings but both are pronounced the same, is the last of an ancient line of traditional kalinga tattoo artists in the philippines. The last tattooed women of kalinga presents a series of portraits by filipino photographer jake verzosa born 1979 that lament and celebrate a dying tradition of tattooing in villages throughout the cordillera mountains in the northern philippines. Fangod, a tattoo celebrity in buscalan france leclerc. His ancestral ties to this work continue to motivate his research. Fang od is part of the last line of traditional kalinga tribal tattoo artists in the philippines. I used to tattoo village warriors, and the kalinga designs meant a great deal to them, but these symbols dont.
She still inks eight to 10 tattoos a day in kalinga province. Vagabond journeys apol danganan traveled to the village of buscalan, in the mountains of luzon in the far north of the philippines, to meet the famed traditional kalinga tattooist, fang od. The last kalinga tattoo artist looks at the life and work of whangod, the. Whang od is 96 years old en makes tattoos, the kalinga way.
Posted on june 8, 2014 january 28, 2020 by mimiyako this entry was posted in uncategorized and tagged adventure, batok, beforeandafter, buscalan, kalinga, tattoo, traditional tattoo, travel, whang od, what you need to know. While the kalinga tattoos have lost some of its ancient qualities over the years, the materials used by whangod have remained the same. It turns out that whang od and kalinga tattooing have figured prominently in lanes book. Whang od is 92 years old and she is the last kalinga tattoo maker, according to specialists this practice is about a thousand years old. The last kalinga tattoo artist fangodfhangod, 89, she carefully tattoos dr. A 101yearold tattoo artist is teaching girls to ink for.
Heres how to get a tribal tattoo from the legendary whang od, a kalinga tattoo artist living deep in the filipino jungle. Feb 25, 2017 apo fangod is one of the last kalinga tattoo artists. Whang od is 92 years old and she is the last kalinga tattoo maker philippines. Fortunately, we found a book lying around whang ods house yesterday. Philippines oldest tattoo artist meet whang od oggay. We stayed at the house of abu, fangods niece, their family, even fangods sisters house are just side by side. In anticipation of her retirement from the tattooing scene, whang od has been. Our trip wouldnt be possible without kuya francis, our tour guide. Getting inked by the legendary tribal tattooist whang od hostelworld. Francis in turn is thankful to fang od as well for he gets to guide visitors because of fang od. A visit to her home in the cordillera mountains is one of the most soughtafter tattoo pilgrimages in the world. Rumours of the philippines tribal tattoo master i first heard whispered murmurings of a legendary tattoo master living deep in the jungles of the philippines almost a decade ago, but dismissed it as an urban myth.
It was written by lane wilcken, a filipinoamerican author and tattoo artist. Truly, nothing worth having comes easy and this is especially true with whangods precious batok tattoo. Whang od is 92 years old and the last kalinga tattoo maker, a practice dating back 1,000 years. It was assumed for a while that the now 94 year old whang od would be the last, but her grandniece grace has taken up the art and the traditional continues. The last kalinga tattoo artist, whang od dw documentary youtube.