162. WHANG-OD: LIVING LEGEND & NATIONAL TREASURE
This day is very memorable as I was able to get acquainted and tattooed by Apo
Whang-od, one of our living national treasure and described as the last and
oldest mambabatok or traditional Kalinga tattooist. She is 105 years old.
In 1990, at 16 years old, I started my research on the history of my beloved
hometown Cabatuan and I stressed on the importance of the indigenous people
Kalinga as the original settlers (not the Ilocanos) of the locality nestling
along the mighty and winding Magat River at the foothills of the Cordilleras
near what are now the provinces of Ifugao, Mountain Province and Kalinga. These
pagans of yesteryears were headed by several able leaders like: Ronsan and
Ngolan (both from Sili in Aurora town), Balindan, Melad and Gombi (from
Bolinao, also in Aurora town), Tullayao Bayudoc (from Subasta, Saranay in
Cabatuan) and the grand old chieftain Materig (also from Sili in Aurora town). Old
Cabatuanenses narrated that they were very ferocious and sported numerous
tattoos on their bodies.
On September 1998, I had my first tattoo when I was formally inducted as a
member of the Guardians, now officially called Philippine Guardians Brotherhood,
Inc. (PGBI) since it was a requirement that the symbols of the organization
should be permanently inked on the upper portion of my right triceps and on
both back of my hands near the junction of my thumb and index fingers. After a
decade, an additional mark (letter “R”) was tattooed on my right hand
indicating that I was promoted in the PGBI as a Ranking Magic Group (RMG).
After over a decade, today, I had additional prints on my body done by the
great Whang-od and her grandniece Elyang of the Butbut Kalinga tribe, known to
be among the fiercest and artistic peoples in Northern Philippines.
At the blink of an eye, I decided to visit Apo Whang-od since I had no schedule
for today and we had no office on a Friday. We left past midnight in Cabatuan
together with four of my Isabela Tourism Office staff and entered the
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) via Rizal, Kalinga since my driver was
not familiar with the Tabuk-Quezon Road via barangay Abut. In total darkness,
we passed through the capital-city of Tabuk crossing the winding Chico River,
the municipalities of Pasil and Lubuagan until we reached the junction of the
Bugnay-Buscalan Road in the Municipality of Tingalan. The 158-kilometer travel
took us over four and a half hours. We were advised to wait for the sun to rise
since it is dangerous to trek the Loccong-Buscalan Pathway because of its steep
terrain and steps. As the curtain of a new day unfolded before our eyes at five
thirty in the morning, we decided to descend and ascend the route heading to
the century old abode of doyen Whang-od enjoying the scenic spot of rice
terraces and greeting our Butbut brothers and sisters along the way. Our guide
made a walking stick for my convenience. As we reached the Buscalan village, we
were instantly served with the aromatic kapeng barako below the house of the
great artist and waited for the cue.
Securing a tattoo from Apo Whang-od needs patience. Never-ending visitors as
far as abroad waited in line for more than a day and sometimes three to five
days, for the much covet signature “three-dots”. Since 2017, the grand old lady
limits herself on the “three dots” since her weary eyes unable her to exert
long tattooing because of her centenary age. Apo Whang-od, since she bore no
children, decided to pass the mambabatok tradition by choosing her two talented
grandnieces: Grace Palicas and Elyang Wigan as her apprentices. The now famous
“three-dots” represents Grace, Whang-od and Elyang.
My team came very early in the morning to make sure that we are first in the
line for the day. Tourists and tattoo enthusiasts who arrived the day before
were accommodated first. While waiting for our turn, I decided to be marked by
the “third dot”, the second and younger apprentice. The 23-years old Elyang
tattooed on my right arm below the PGBI markings, the name of my wife
"JASMIN" underscored with an arrow facing my heart with three
fletchings which means "I love you". The 18-minute procedure costs
eight hundred pesos.
Pagbabatok is practiced by hand-tapping the ink into the skin using a thorn
attached to one end of a stick. The thorn used is usually from a lemon plant
and is called “sait” in the Butbut dialect. The bamboo stick to which the thorn
is attached is called “gisi” and the short stick that is used for hand-tapping
is called “pat-ik”. The ink used is from soot or “using”, mixed with a little
water inside the coconut mixing bowl. A blade of grass is also used to create a
pattern on the skin after it is dipped into the ink. After the pattern is
drawn, the tattooing session will commence. The thorn-needle is dipped into the
ink and follows the pattern drawn. The same pattern is followed until the whole
ink is absorbed from the needle. This method is indeed a form of indigenous art
as it utilizes indigenous materials as a medium for the creation of different
artworks. The tool being used in pagbabatok is now commercialized with the name
of either Whang-od, Buscalan or pattern tattoo designs painted on the slender
bamboo shafts with the sait at the far end plus cap with black string to cover
the sharp point. It costs a hundred pesos.
At long last, it was now my turn to be marked by the grand old lady artist. I
was excited and asked my staff to take a video of the whole procedure in
different angles. Whang-od was accommodating and did not show any sign of
annoyance despite me being noisy. She grabbed my right arm and had it rest on
her right lap for the muscles to relax. The taps are strong, deep, rhythmic,
and painful and lasted for about three-minutes. Still uncontented, I had the
famous three-dots inked on my left ankle. I realized that I have to maximize
the opportunity to be tattooed by the living legend. She looked at me in
amazement when I requested the ellipsis to be marked on me for the second time.
This time, I felt the pain of being pricked and blood even sprouted on the
third dot. The world-famous “three-dots” cost one hundred fifty. Marked with
two sets, I paid three hundred pesos. Through the great Whang-od, forever
inscribed on my arm and ankle are symbols of the ancient heritage of the
indigenous Kalingas.
Whang-od, also known as Maria Oggay, became known to the whole world when Lars
Krutak, the American anthropologist, visited Kalinga in 2007. He documented her
work in the series “Tattoo Hunter” that were featured on Discovery Channel.
This was the beginning of a big wave of tourists both local and international
to arrive in Barangay Buscalan to meet and get tattooed by the Kalingan legend.
However, there are some specific tattoos that Apo Whang-od refuses to tattoo on
tourists because they belong only to the Kalinga culture.
At 15, Whang-od, mentored by her father, started tattooing. In the Kalinga
tradition, only men with tattooing ancestry were allowed to learn this unique
art. Since Whang-od had a special talent and her father saw her potential she
then became an exception. Back then, women were also tattooed for aesthetic
reasons. Men headhunters, on the other hand, earn their tattoos as a medal for
protecting their villages by killing the enemies. Apo Whang-od would also chant
while doing the tattoos of her tribe making the whole procedure like a ritual
or small ceremony.
The mystique of Apo Whang-od helped stir the economy of Buscalan. The name of
the village came from the term “whos-ayan” which refers to “makers of bolos”
whose products were the weapons of old Kalingan warriors and headhunters. From
a sleeping barangay, souvenir shops blossomed including homestays and eateries
and the barrio folks are indulged in tourism activities like tour guiding. It is
interesting to note that toilets are clean and water is abundant. Apo Whang-od
serves as a godmother to all locals in their time of needs and never fail to
share her blessings. At 105, one can feel her strength on her heavy hand and
she serves as a symbol of resilience and woman power. She once said in a
Matador Network documentary that she will only stop tattooing when her eyes can
no longer see the stick.
Whang-od was featured in media both local and international and honored a
number of times. In 2018, the Senate adopted a resolution to nominate her for
the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or National Living Treasures Award.
In the same year, she was given the Dangal ng Haraya Award for Intangible
Cultural Heritage by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The award recognizes living Filipino artists and cultural workers who have made
significant contributions to Philippine culture and arts.
Whang-od has become a living symbol of Kalinga culture, widely recognized for a
revival of traditional hand-tapped tattoo culture in contemporary society and I
am privileged to be tattooed by the great mambabatok and her grandniece,
Elyang. Mabuhay ang kulturang Pilipino!
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