Whang-od facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Whang-od
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Whang-od tattooing on June 30, 2016
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Whang-od Oggay
February 17, 1917 Tinglayan, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Philippine Islands
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| Nationality | Filipino |
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| Known for | Last and oldest practitioner of Kalinga tattooing Oldest person on the cover of Vogue |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines) |
Whang-od Oggay (born around February 17, 1917), also known as Maria Oggay, is a famous tattoo artist from the village of Buscalan in Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines. She is often called the "last" and oldest mambabatok. A mambabatok is a traditional Kalinga tattoo artist. She belongs to the Butbut people, who are part of the larger Kalinga ethnic group.
Whang-od started tattooing when she was about 11 years old. She tattooed Butbut warriors and women. Warriors traditionally earned tattoos for their bravery in battle. Even though tribal warfare ended, Whang-od still practices her art on visitors who come to Buscalan.
She speaks only her native language, Kalinga, and Ilocano. These are common languages in Northern Luzon. She does not speak Tagalog, Filipino, or English.
In April 2023, Whang-od, at 106 years old, appeared on the cover of Vogue Philippines. This made her the oldest person ever to be on the cover of Vogue.
In 2018, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) gave Whang-od the Dangal ng Haraya Award. This award was given in Tabuk, the capital of Kalinga. She was also nominated for the National Living Treasures Award in 2017. This nomination is still being reviewed by the NCCA.
Contents
Whang-od's Life Story
Becoming a Tattoo Artist
Whang-od began tattooing at age 15. She learned this traditional art from her father. He was a master tattooist in their area. Usually, only men from certain families could learn this skill. But Whang-od was special because her father saw her talent.
Later, Whang-od chose only women to be her apprentices. This was the first time in Kalinga history that this tradition was changed. Her community accepted her choice. She used to do the batok, which is hand-tapped tattooing, on male warriors. These tattoos were given for protecting villages or winning battles. She also tattooed women of the Butbut people for beauty.
As a traditional mambabatok, she used to tell fortunes and chant while tattooing. Each design she made had special meanings in her culture. For example, a warrior who defeated an enemy would get an eagle tattoo.
Traditional Tattoo Meanings
Whang-od herself got her first tattoos as a teenager. These designs included a ladder and a python. The python tattoo was very important in her people's sacred stories. It was believed that the python scale tattoo was first given to a noblewoman named Lagkunawa. This was a gift from a hero-god who loved her. Since then, the tattoo was passed down through generations.
Fatok is the name for tattoos given to women to show beauty and wealth. If a woman's arm was tattooed like Whang-od's, her family would pay the artist with a piglet or rice. Fi-ing was the term for tattoos on male Butbut warriors' chests and arms. Whang-od used to do fi-ing until the government stopped tribal warfare. The last fi-ing was done in 1972.
Today, warriors no longer exist, but Whang-od still tattoos visitors to Buscalan. However, she no longer chants for tourists. The chants are only for Kalinga women's beauty and for celebrating Kalinga men's battle victories.
Her Work Today
In the past, her tattoos did not earn her money. But with many tourists visiting, she earned a good amount each day in 2015. She takes care of twenty to thirty customers daily. Because of her age, she now mostly does simpler tattoos. Her apprentices, all women, continue the tradition for her and their people.
The tattoo ink she uses is made from natural materials. It is usually a mix of charcoal and water. This ink is tapped into the skin using a thorn from a calamansi or pomelo tree. This old batok technique is thousands of years old and can be quite painful. Her designs come from nature and basic shapes. Since 2017, her special signature tattoo is three dots. These dots represent herself and her two main apprentices. They show how the art continues from older to younger generations.
Besides tattooing, Whang-od is a respected village elder. She also plays the nose flute. She helps with farm work, like feeding pigs and chickens, and growing rice.
Her Personal Life
When she was young, Whang-od had a boyfriend named Ang-Batang, a Butbut warrior. She tattooed him after his first battle victory. Many elders did not approve of their relationship. Ang-Batang later died in a logging accident when Whang-od was 25.
Whang-od decided not to marry and has no children. This means she has no direct family to continue her tattooing art. She had other relationships but stayed unmarried. According to tradition, tattooing skills can only be passed down through family. Whang-od believes that if someone outside the family line tattoos, the tattoos might get infected.
For many years, young people in her village were not interested in learning the old tattoo art. But in the 21st century, people started to appreciate Indigenous ways more. This helped save the art form in Buscalan. Whang-od has trained her grandniece, Grace Palicas, and another relative, Ilyang Wigan. More family members, like 12-year-old Den Wigan, are now interested. However, these younger artists do not perform all the other parts of a mambabatok's work. Their tattoos are also not as detailed as Whang-od's.
An expert named Analyn Salvador-Amores says that other batok traditions, like chanting and fortune-telling, might disappear with Whang-od. This is because these are not taught to her apprentices. Chanting and fortune-telling are only done for the Kalinga people, not for outsiders. So, Whang-od might be the last mambabatok of her village. This could change if Kalinga people start getting traditional tattoos as part of their modern culture, and if her apprentices master the difficult chanting arts.
Her Impact and Legacy
Senator Nancy Binay said that Whang-od has helped keep the knowledge and culture of Kalinga tattoos alive. The practice of Kalinga tattoos was almost gone. Whang-od's title as the "Last Kalinga Tattoo Artist" might soon change. She is now teaching about 20 young girls, including her grandnieces, the art of mambabatok. This ensures the tradition continues.
Only Grace Palicas and Ilyang Wigan are considered her true apprentices. This is because the batok apprenticeship must be passed down to blood relatives. Whang-od's "signature" tattoo of three dots represents herself and her two main apprentices. It shows the art moving to the next generation. While these Kalinga tattoos still have symbols from nature, they do not carry the same meaning they had during times of warfare.
Her Age and Recognition
Many sources say Whang-od was born on February 17, 1917. This would mean she turned 100 in 2017. If so, she could get benefits from the Philippine government under the Centenarians Act of 2016. However, the government doubted her age because she had no official birth documents. At the time she was born, birth records were not common in remote areas like Buscalan. Also, recording birth dates on paper was not part of their culture. In June 2017, she received a Philippine postal ID. This ID formally recognized her birth date as February 17, 1917. This made her eligible for the centenarian benefits.
Awards and Honors
Because Whang-od is the last mambabatok of her generation, many people online wanted her to be named a National Artist of the Philippines. A campaign with the hashtag #WangOdNationalArtist started in September 2015. Others wanted her to receive the National Living Treasures Award instead.
In 2015, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago asked the Philippine Senate to nominate Whang-od for the National Living Treasures Award. This award is also known as GAMABA. Senator Nancy Binay and Senator Loren Legarda also supported her nomination.
Former NCCA chairman Felipe de Leon Jr. also supported Whang-od's nomination. He said that a mambabatok helps bring the community together. He added that she helps her community by tattooing tourists and practices traditional Kalinga art for a living. This means she should be eligible for both the National Living Treasure Award and the National Artists Award.
An anthropologist named Analyn Salvador-Amores said that Whang-od might not get the GAMABA award. This is because she earns money from tattooing, and one rule for the GAMABA award is to practice the craft without making a profit. However, if this prevents her from getting GAMABA, she could still be nominated for the National Artist Award, which is of the same rank.
Whang-od was officially nominated for the National Living Treasures Award on October 21, 2017. The NCCA accepted her nomination. The NCCA is now finishing the paperwork for the Philippine President to sign. If she receives the award, Whang-od would get a gold medal, a monthly allowance, and a starting grant. On February 28, 2018, the Senate of the Philippines fully supported her nomination for GAMABA.
On June 12, 2018, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts announced that Whang-od would receive the Dangal ng Haraya Award. This award was given on June 25 in Tabuk, Kalinga. The final steps for the GAMABA award are still ongoing.
On February 14, 2024, Whang-od received the Presidential Medal of Merit from President Bongbong Marcos.
On May 1, 2024, Michelle Dee got Whang-od's three-dot signature tattoo on her arm. Dee then playfully "crowned" Whang-od as a "beauty queen." Whang-od also signed Dee’s tattoo-inspired black gown sketch. Dee gave Whang-od a jersey with "Filipinas 2023" on the front and "MMD" on the back.
Public Appearances and Features
Whang-od attended the Dutdutan Tattoo Expo in the Philippines in 2012. She had her own booth there. A photo of Whang-od is part of an exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada. The exhibit is called Tattoos: Ritual. Identity. Obsession. Art and opened on April 2, 2016.
In October 2017, Whang-od, along with her apprentices Grace Palicas and Ilyang Wigan, went to Metro Manila. They showed their tattooing skills at the 66th Manila Fame trade show. The organizers of the event faced criticism after a photo went viral online. Some people said the organizers were taking advantage of Whang-od and her culture. The organizers defended the event, and Whang-od's niece, Palicas, later explained the situation. In August 2021, Palicas spoke out against a foreigner, Nas Daily, for creating a "Whang-od Academy" without permission from her tribe. Under Philippine law, tribes must give their free and prior informed consent for such projects.
Television Documentaries
The American anthropologist Lars Krutak visited Kalinga in 2007. He documented Whang-od's tattoo work. An episode of Krutak's series Tattoo Hunter on Discovery Channel helped introduce Kalinga culture and Whang-od to a global audience. In 2010, she was also featured in i-Witness, a documentary on GMA Network, by Kara David.
In 2017, Whang-od was featured in the Dayaw series by the NCCA and ABS-CBN News Channel. This series showed her contributions to the country's identity and heritage. Her life story was also shown in Wagas, a GMA News TV drama series in 2017, where Janine Gutierrez played Whang-od.
Images for kids
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Whang-od tattooing on June 30, 2016
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Whang-od with a tattooed visitor
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Grace Palicas, Whang-od's grandniece and senior apprentice, doing a facial tattoo and continuing the tradition of batok
See also
- Philippine tattoos
- Visayan tattoos
- Kalinga (province)
- Macli-ing Dulag
