As we stepped off, we looked around for our tour guide. A centenarian and is still active in the art of batok(tattoo). And just a week ago, I have had the privilege to experience this traditional tattooing procedure under the hands of the legendary mambabatok of Kalinga, Apo Whang-Od. Much love to our amazing guide and friend Racquel Sagmayao, and her generous family for welcoming us into their home during our stay. There are lots of tattoo aftercare suggestions on the group “Tattooed by Apo Whang-od” that it’s actually confusing already. Whang-od started tattoing at the age of 15, a traditional artform that she learned from her father who was considered a master tattooist in the region. Our Executive Editor, Kelly Lewis, meets the 101-year old Apo Whang-Od, who is the last living Kalinga warrior tattooist in the Philippines. Elle-même s'est faite tatouer pour la première fois pendant l'adolescence et a appris le batok par son père. Whang-Od is simply an honour to be tattooed by. She is often described as the "last" and oldest mambabatok (traditional Kalinga tattooist) and is part of the Butbut people of the larger Kalinga ethnic group. Continue Reading. But we thought ah seems legit, and we both hopped on the back of a motorbike. She has been tattooing indigenous people of Butbut for more than 80 years. She is famous for her traditional tattoo art known locally as pambabatok. She had never seen breasts my size before and had a good feel before she began tattooing me. Elle l'a donc transmis à ses petites-nièces. Amuyao climb, we decided to visit the ever famous mambabatok of Buscalan. About FilipiKnow. Whang-od now applies the batok (the traditional hand-tapped tattooing) to tourists visiting Buscalan. In later life, Whang-od's chosen apprentices constituted of only women, breaking the patrimonial tradition for the first time in recorded Kalinga history. This rare look into her daily life paints a beautiful portrait of Apo Whang-od, an artist molded by traditions and a Filipino now immortalized by her own art. It was also possible that we’d get there, and Whang-Od would have a waitlist that spans the length of days. When we got off, we were literally clueless. I certainly never thought in the next 7 years I would be living in China and meet one of my now closest friends, who had the same intention of going on the long journey to the village of Buscalan, Kalinga where we were hoping to meet and be tattooed by a 101-year-old Apo Whang-Od! Dans sa jeunesse, les tatouages étaient gratuits, aujourd'hui elle tire des revenus de cette activité pour acheter des cochons. Si Whang-od Oggay (Pagbigkas ng unang pangalan: [ˈɸɐŋ.ˈʔɘd]; ipinanganak noong Pebrero 17, 1917), na kilala rin bilang Maria Oggay, ay isang Pilipinang mambabatok mula sa Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, Pilipinas. Dans le documentaire qui lui est consacré, la tatoueuse explique ne réaliser certains motifs que pour les guerriers et personne d'autre comme celui de l'aigle. Le NCCA a reconnu que Whang-Od était la plus ancienne tatoueuse de la communauté Butbut, sous-ethnie Kalinga. (That day will always be imprinted, and I will always love you — pls Marry Me). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. I was really excited then. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. So, we went outside and hailed a trike (a motorbike with a sidecar) and we headed to the town’s college. De plus, elle a attiré l’attention du monde entier sur la cultur… No one is certain of Whang-Od’s age, and there are no official documents confirming her birth. Elle a décidé de ne jamais se marier ni d'avoir des enfants. Les personnes souhaitant se faire tatouer par elle font des kilomètres pour aller la voir dans son village de montagne. Elle tatoue depuis l'âge de quinze ans. The oldest tattoo artist in the world. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. A record of my thoughts and embarrassing experiences while travelling the globe. We then got a “Grab” taxi to the Ola! She looks far more younger than her actual age, and at 95 years old, Whang Od is keeping her people's tradition of "batok" (tattoo) alive. In traditional Kalinga batok fashion, tattoos are carried out with 2 wooden sticks—one has a hole at the end for the placement of a pomelo thorn (the “needle”), while the other is used for tapping. But it was Apo Whang-od’s father who taught her the art and skill of batek at 18. We couldn’t check in till 2pm so we spent from 9am till 2am on the rooftop of Ola! Luckily there was some space, and we hopped on for 50PHP each and travelled backwards on ourselves to the large village of Bontoc. You will see the Buscalan Village from the Buscalan Information Center. Whang-Od recalls that during her youth, her friends covered her arms and legs in tattoos. When I first laid eyes on her my heart started beating and I turned into a teen about to meet Dougie Poynter. ( Log Out /  Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The legendary Apo Whang Od is the oldest and one of the last mambabatok carrying on this cultural tradition which has lasted nearly 1000 years. No Guide, No Entry. From here we got a bus heading to Tabuk and got off at the Mar o’ Bugnay stop. Born on 17th of February 1917, Whang-Od also known as Maria Oggay is often described as the "last" and oldest "Mambabatok". A 101 ans, cette femme originaire des Philippines est parmi les dernières à tatouer … This is the best part. My other friend is not a virgin when it comes to tattoo so she decided to go first. link to The Many Faces of Whang-od, Philippines’ Legendary Tattooist . Her career began when she was 15 years old tattooing head-hunters and warriors from her tribe, the Butbut people. But aside from her popularity as an oldest Filipino tattoo artist, her teenage photo recently garnered attention from the online community. Whang-od was an exception due to her talent and potential seen by her father. We prepared by staying for a few nights and to our surprise we saw her the evening we arrived! I'm super new to this, I tend to write the way I speak so I may contradict myself or even go off on a tangent but this blog is basically just putting my thoughts and embarrassing experiences out there for the world to see and hopefully find people who have experienced the same (Or warn those who havent). This video is unavailable. In my experience, I just put Bactroban Anti-bacterial ointment the night after having my tattoo. C’est la première fois qu’un artiste en arts traditionnels folkloriques reçoit ce prix. We left the Hostel around quarter to 5 in the afternoon. La tatoueuse a été découverte grâce à un documentaire sur la chaîne Discovery Chanel en 2009 et est devenue une icône. Tag: Apo Whang Od Age. Depending on who you ask, Whang-Od is either 98 or 101 or 103. Luckily for us, they had paved a temporary one through the mud – it killed me, I swear I lost 3 lives just walking down the mountain and then I lost weight walking up the next mountain. Whang-Od, Buscalan Got Inked By Whang-Od! Depending on who you ask, Whang-Od is either 98 or 101 or 103. The getting there was so much fun! Racquel was savage, she did the whole hike in her flip flops while Scouse and I were wearing our walking boots ffs. She had an innate talent for the art and carried on … Le jour où Apo Whang-od disparaîtra, c'est tout un pan de la culture philippine qui partira avec elle. Despite what could go wrong, all these risks were work taking as I embarked on my trek to meet Apo Whang-Od. I joined the event even I don’t have someone I knew in the group. Literally eating food. Apo Whang-od est une légende vivante du tatouage. I can’t wait to go back with more time to spend with our new friends and Buscalan family. Ink is made by scraping the charcoal off cooking pots that sit over the fire and mixing it with water. By the age of 15, she was under the guidance of her father, starting her tattoo apprenticeship. How astounding to think that for many decades, Apo Whang Od has able to keep this senescent tribal tattooing practice alive despite of old age. Today, Apo Whang-od is 95 years old and holds the highest recognition of being the only surviving master of traditional Kalinga batek. But the getting there, spending several days in the beautiful, isolated mountain village of Buscalan, and living amongst the locals truly brought an unforgettable completion to this awesome journey. We got our first tattoo by the age of 30 from the oldest tattoo artist Apo Whang-od. We ended up walking around and saw a Jeepney that was going to Bontoc. Le 25 juin dernier, cette femme exceptionnelle de 101 ans a reçu une récompense pour sa contribution au patrimoine culturel immatériel des Philippines de la part de la Commission Nationale pour les Arts et la Culture (NCCA) du pays. She’s more than an artist, Apo Whang-Od is a role model for women who choose unconventional paths. Mais Apo Whang-od est parfois fatiguée. We ended up talking to a police officer who explained where the bus we needed was. She said that the process is quite painful. We finally got to Turning Point where we met Racquel, and it is from there we started our small hike of 45 minutes to an hour to the tiny village of Buscalan on the opposite peak. Yeah but seriously, my heart was pumping I was so excited to see her! But the real pleasure was her meeting the size of my breasts! Apo Whang-Od fixed a pomelo thorn and mixed some charcoal powder with water. A 101 ans, cette femme originaire des Philippines est parmi les dernières à tatouer à la main dans le monde. Apo is a centenarian — she is considered as the oldest tattoo artist in the Philippines. Still very lively even at age 103! The good news is that there is one mambabatok who is still alive and despite her old age, she is still practising this ancient art. Whang-Od could have been sick, tired, or taking a day off, an occurrence that’s becoming more frequent, understandably, at her age. Apo Whang-Od est une frêle vieille dame recouverte de tatouages qui perpétue cette tradition tribale depuis son plus jeune âge. Whang-od Oggay (First name pronunciation: [ˈɸɑŋ:ˈəd]; born February 17, 1917), also known as Maria Oggay, is a Filipina tattoo artist from Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines. Batok ) locally as pambabatok son petit ami de l'époque est mort à époque! Can go wrong, all these risks were work taking as I embarked my. 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