While getting tattooed seems like a modern hobby, it’s certainly not a new art form. Tattoos and inks have been a part of tribal culture around the world for centuries. Before tattoo needles and guns, tattoos were made with rose thorns and shark teeth. Though the earliest known tattoo techniques are long forgotten, a 106-year-old woman is keeping her culture alive.
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- Who is Apo Whang-Od?
- Tourist gets tattoo of oldest living artist
Who is Apo Whang-Od?
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Apo Whang-Od, a 106-year-old Filipino woman, keeps history alive by inking people using the age-old practice of Batok. Whang-Od is known to be the oldest tattoo artist in the world. She has received far too much fame and even appeared on the cover of Vogue because of her determination to keep the ancient tradition alive.
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The remote town of Buscalan is home to the famous tattoo artist, known to be the last mambabatok of her generation. She lives a grueling 12-hour drive from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. As soon as a traveler enters Tinglayan Township, Kalinga, a sign welcomes them to the “Whang-Od Buscalan Tattoo Village”.
Although modern communications have not fully reached the town, only a few houses have WiFi connections and the town does not receive a cell signal. One person who has been there to witness all the modern changes in the village is Apo Whang-Od, also known as Maria Oggay.
Oggay has been doing hand tattoos since she was a teenager. However, it was only about 15 years ago that her clientele exploded, reaching people outside of the Cordillera region. Now, thousands of tourists and ink enthusiasts book appointments for a single chance to be tattooed by the legend.
Tourist gets tattoo of oldest living artist
One such tourist, Beatrice, came to the remote village to seize the opportunity of a lifetime and was tattooed by Apo Whang-Od. Unlike many tattoo enthusiasts who come to Whang-Od’s doorstep, Beatrice had never gotten a tattoo on her own body. So her first tattoo was not only one of the most painful she’ll ever experience, but also one of the only ones worth so much more than just black ink.
Whang-Od’s tattoo ink uses charcoal and water as the main ingredients. Once combined, a thorn from a citrus tree, either a calamansi or a grapefruit, is used to poke it into the skin. In the viral clip, Beatrice is seen getting the tattoo on her arm as she shakes from excruciating pain.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn