Maria Whang Od Oggay, popularly known as Apo Whang Od is a living testimony showcasing the art of tattooing. She is the oldest tattoo artist from the Northern Mountain in the Philippines, Kalinga, in a small village called Buscalan. Apo Whang Od is not only the oldest tattoo artist in ...
Open Access BPO’s leadership team recently trekked to Buscalan in the Philippines’ Kalinga province to unveil a monumental marble bust in homage to the mambabatok (indigenous tattoo artist) Apo Whang-Od. The turnover ceremony for the bust commenced on the morning of May 3rd with a ...
“Whang-Od kept the tradition [of batok] alive by starting a tattoo tourism industry, and that in itself is remarkable,” she said. “The ritualistic significance of receiving a tattoo is different now, or may not apply at all, since most people don’t take heads in tribal warfare. They...