Inked by Whang Od

Although she is the last of her kind, she is truly a treasure in Filipino Culture. We are talking about the Oldest Filipino Tribal Artist, the one and only Apo Whang Od. Her strong passion for tattooing is just incredible. In her 103 years of existence, her art never fades like the tattoos that she has done for the past 80 years up to this day.

She is a Mambabatok(Kalinga tattooist) from the tribe of Butbut in Buscalan, Kalinga. Her works, patterns, and simple yet unique Tattoos captivate local and foreign tourist to have her art embedded in their skin. Who wouldn’t love to have a Tattoo from the Legendary Whang Od?

Tourists from all over the world visited her, to see and try her magnificent charcoal and water combination Tattoos. To have her Magnum opus in your dermis layer, you need to travel about 10 hours and battle the cold chilly weather of Kalinga.

Local and even International celebrities honored her for the beautiful art. Celebrities like Rhian Ramos, Paulo Ballesteros, and Kuya Kim Atienza who post their photos on Instagram while being tattooed by Legendary Mambabatok. International Celebrities also visited and honored her ink Art like NBA Stars Hasheem Thabeet and Steve Adams from Oklahoma City Thunder. The Hollywood Actress who played Wasp in the Movie Ant-man and Wasp, Evangeline Lilly, Honors Filipino Pride Whang Od via Instagram with the hashtags #beauty,#age, and #power and it reached 16,996 likes.

Painful but worth it, using citrus thorns that are attached in a 12-inch bamboo and tapped in your skin is agonizing yet at the end of the day, it’s a privilege to have it in your body.
Visitors who want to have an appointment with Whang Od are requested to bring offerings or gifts like food, medicine, and even matches, which are very important in their daily chores and activities.

Her art will live forever, without a child, she wants to pass her skills in her bloodline. Her niece, Grace is eager to continue and preserve the traditional way of Tattooing.

She is an incredible artist, and there is no doubt that there are still a long line of visitors who want to be inked by her. She is an inspiration, and some artists made portraits of her because of the tattoos in her body that brought impact in their masterpieces.

References:

Geli B.(2019)IN PHOTOS: Celebrities na nagpa-tattoo kay Apo Whang-Od:https://www.gmanetwork.com/entertainment/celebritylife/news/10592/in-photos-celebrities-na-nagpa-tattoo-kay-apo-whang-od/photo/128175/paolo-ballesteros

Dumaraos G. (2017)Meet Apo Whang-Od, the Last Kalinga Tattoo Artist in the Philippines:https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/meet-apo-whang-od-the-last-hand-poke-tattoo-artist-in-the-philippines/

Cepeda C.(2018)LOOK: Hollywood star Evangeline Lilly pays homage to Apo Whang-od:https://entertainment.inquirer.net/265864/look-hollywood-star-evangeline-lilly-pays-homage-apo-whang-od

Henson J. M.(2017)NBA star to get body tattoo from local artist:https://www.philstar.com/sports/2017/07/19/1727861/nba-star-get-body-tattoo-local-artist

News5Features(2017)https://www.facebook.com/News5Features/photos/hasheem-meets-apo-whang-od-nba-star-na-si-hasheem-thabeet-nagpa-tattoo-kay-apo-w/1642278669117902/

Featured Photo from Pinterest