#Mambabatok

[aworldofpattern]

Miss Universe Philippines 2023, Michelle Marquez Dee, wearing a gown designed with Mark Bumgarner.

The design was inspired by the traditional tattoos of Maria Whang Od Oggay, popularly known as Apo Whang Od (pictured below).

At age 106, she is the oldest tattoo artist, or 'mambabatok', from Kalinga in the Philippines.

[kalakian]

A Filipino-Canadian filmmaker travels to Buscalan, a secluded mountain community, to learn about the history and symbolism of Kalinga tattoos from the legendary artist Apo Whang-od and her apprentices. The film explores how this old practice, once banned and despised in Philippine society, has now evolved into a chic and in-demand type of body art that has become a source of pride and belonging for many Filipinos, both at home and abroad. The documentary also highlights the importance of preserving the tattoo culture for future generations and the challenges faced by the community in doing so. It also delves into the issues of stolen mummified bodies, cultural appropriation, stigmatization, and discrimination faced by tattooed individuals.

[xipiti]

Vogue Philippines has revealed Apo Whang-Od as the cover star of its April issue, a move that makes the 106-year-old tattoo artist from the Philippines the oldest person ever to appear on the front of Vogue.

Whang-Od — also known as Maria Oggay — has been perfecting the art of hand-tapping tattoos since she was a teen, learning under her father's instruction.

Residing in the mountain village of Buscalan, about 15 hours north of Manila, in Kalinga province, she is considered the country's oldest mambabatok — or traditional Kalinga tattooist.

Once, the hand-tapped tattoos that Whang-Od creates using just a bamboo stick, a thorn from a pomelo tree, water and coal, were earned by indigenous Butbut warriors.

Now, international visitors seeking her signature geometric designs make up much of her clientele.

"Heralded as the last mambabatok of her generation, she has imprinted the symbols of the Kalinga tribe—signifying strength, bravery, and beauty—on the skin of thousands of people who have made the pilgrimage to Buscalan," Vogue Philippines said in a post on social media.

[alicenowonderland]

SHOTS 📸

Going back to my old hobbies to make me feel me. 💗

[pinas-wip]

Apo Whang Od of the Butbut tribe in Buscalan, Kalinga on the cover of Vogue Philippines

Read the article to know more about the historical and cultural background of the Kalinga tattoo also known as batok.

[themakeupbrush]

Vogue Philippines April 2023 featuring Apo Whang-Od, the last mambabatok of Kalinga and a living legend.

At 106 years old, she is the oldest tattoo artist in the world and the oldest person to star on the cover of Vogue

[limeade-l3sbian]

Whang-od Oggay, born February 17, 1917, also known as Maria Oggay, is a Filipina tattoo artist from Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines. 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.

She has been tattooing headhunters and women of the indigenous people of Butbut in Buscalan, Kalinga, since she was 15 years old, but the Butbut warriors who used to earn tattoos by protecting villages or killing enemies no longer exist. Despite this, Whang-od continues to practice her traditional art form on tourists visiting Buscalan.

Unlike the majority of Filipinos, she does not speak Tagalog or English. She only communicates in Kalinga, her native language, and Ilocano, one of northern Luzon's lingua franca. (x)

[ysaribidotexe]

Spend weeks getting inked at Buscalan Tattoo Village in Tinglayan Kalinga.

Home to the butbut tribe and the world famous Apo Whang-Od (or Fang-Od), the last mambabatok. Before, "Batok" [the traditional hand-tapped Filipino tattoo] is primarily given to headhunters as a symbol of honor for protecting villages or for killing enemies. Given that headhunting and tribe wars are just stories of the past, this sacred art of tattooing has now become part of Buscalan's various attractions.

Prior to my trip, I made prior arrangements with a local guide in Buscalan. I've been planning for so long to get an arm sleeve tattoo etched on my skin made by her apprentices and the signature 3 dots from Apo Whang Od. It is something that I considered as a legendary trademark and not everybody will have the opportunity to be tattooed by her. She is a 106 years old already. Time is flying. I need to get that tattoo. So the moment I felt that rush, I immediately but carefully planned a trip there.

[grendel-menz]

could we ask about what your batok ceremony was like?? :0 fellow pinay here and it's the first time i've heard of it online!

It's an Indigenous practice and I'm still very much reconnecting and learning (always will be) so I don't know if I'm equipped to answer this without exposing too much of the practice to people looking to appropriate or steal :,(! However, the mambabatok I received markings from has a site, interviews, and books that go through much of it! You can find the information here!

[desiredtastes]

A very Happy 107th Birthday to the legendary @apowhangod!!! 🎂 Visiting the oldest tattoo artist in the world will forever be one of the greatest journeys and most amazing travel experiences! 🇵🇭

#WhangOd #Philippines #TravelMemories

#ApoWhangOd #Tattoo #KalingaTattoo #TattooArtist #Mambabatok #Birthday #Kalinga #Buscalan #Travel #SoloTravel #Filipino #Pinoy #TravelAdventures #Jeepney #Hike #Wanderlust #Traveler #Asia #SoutheastAsia #WomenWhoTravel #Traveller #TravelPhotos #TravelBlog #DesiredTastes

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A post shared by Desiree Cabrera | Solo Female Travel (@desired_tastes)

[detournementsmineurs]

Featuring Apo Whang-Od, the last Mambabatok of Kalinga and a living legend, a 106 years old tattoo artist to star on the cover of Vogue Philippines, 2023.

[kkaaarll]

Whang-od Oggay also known as Maria Oggay, is a tattoo artist from the village of Buscalan Kalinga, Philippines. She is often described as the "last" and oldest mambabatok (traditional Kalinga tattooist)

#tattooartist #mambabatok #whangod #streetart #bgc #paint #painter #art

[happymangospot]

This evening gown is everything!

A tribute to Apo Whang Od, the last of the mambabatoks.

[biglisbonnews]

Indigenous tattooist becomes Vogue's oldest ever cover star at 106 Apo Whang-Od appears on front of Philippine edition and is credited with keeping batok form of art alive An Indigenous tattooist in the Philippines credited with helping to keep alive a form of the art known as batok has become the oldest Vogue cover star after appearing in the Philippine edition of the magazine at the age of 106.Apo Whang-Od, who is from Buscalan, a remote, mountainous village in the Kalinga province of the northern Philippines, began tattooing at 16. Once described as the last remaining mambabatok, or traditional Kalinga tattooist, she has since inspired a new generation to learn batok, said Vogue. Batok involves tapping the tattoo into the skin by hand, using a thorn, which is dipped in soot and natural dye, and is attached to a bamboo stick. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/03/indigenous-tattooist-apo-whang-od-vogue-oldest-cover-star-106-philippines

[llavender-llama]

"According to lore and to interviews conducted by tattoo anthropologist Dr. Lars Krutak, Whang- Od was 16 when she began her career as a tattooist under her father’s mentorship. The first and only female mambabatok of her time, Whang-Od would travel to far and neighboring villages, summoned by host communities to imprint the sacred symbols of their ancestors on individuals who have crossed or about to cross a threshold in their lives."

"She is dressed in her usual 'accidental hipster grandma' style, wearing a puffy bomber over track pants and a paisley bandana around her forehead."