#Maria Whang Od Oggay

[gothgleek]

Michelle Dee, Miss Phillipines 2023, wore a dress as a tribute to the last and oldest living Kalinga (Indigenous Filipinos) tattoo artist, Apo Whang Od and her work

[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)

[alicenowonderland]

SHOTS 📸

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

[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.

[itszonez]

APO MARIA “WHANG-OD” OGGAY for Vogue Philippines photographed by Artu Nepomuceno (2023)

[agelesswomen]

Apo Maria “Whang-Od” Oggay

[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.

[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

[abwwia]

105 yo Tattoo Artist: Whang-od Oggay  aka Maria Oggay, is a Filipina tattoo artist from Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines.

The "last" & oldest mambabatok tattooist.

[fashionistaru]

Good morning 🌞 How are you today? #haveagoodday I’m with a brilliant @voguephilippines April 2023 #coverportrait of Apo Maria “Whang-Od” Oggay - the last “mambabatok” (that’s, people, a tattoo related artist) 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”. That’s amazing of course on its own. But she’s also 106 y.o. On the cover of Vogue. And without all the dressing up into brands circus… “ Photographed by @artunepo, produced by @anzhizon. That’s very very unusual, though the story itself looks still like a glamorous tale in the beauty issue of a glossy magazine. I love their courage in approach. What do you think? #artofphotography #portraitphotography #fashionasinspiration #morninginspiration #morningmood #goodmorningpost #beautyofwoman https://www.instagram.com/p/CqcbTukIM37/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jitteryjoedoodlez]

Apo Whang-od Oggay aka Maria Oggay, the "last" and oldest (105 in 2022) mambabatok (traditional Kalinga tattooist) and is part of the Butbut people of the larger Kalinga ethnic group. _wikipedia

[joshcontextualstudies]

Artist research

Apo Whang-od Oggay, also known as Maria Oggay, is a well-known figure in her community for her work as a traditional tattoo artist. She is from a village in Buscalan within the Tingalayan Kalinga in the Philippines, (Ratcliffe, 2023) where she works and has always lived. She is the country's ‘last and oldest ‘mambabatok’, (Melanes, 2013) a group of Kalinga tattoo artists with a historical and cultural tradition of tattooing warriors of the Butbut people, which is her ethnic Kalingan tribe. (Almendral, 2017) Butbut warriors would traditionally earn their tattoos from the deeds they make when in combat. However, with the end of tribal welfare in Buscalan, Whang-od no longer needed to tattoo warriors. She still tattoos with her tribal designs, though she transitioned to working with tourists instead due to her rise in popularity around the world. 

Whang-od’s work expresses identity as she is preserving the ancient tradition of tribal tattooing that defines the battle experiences/the beautification of the Kalinga tribe men and women. The traditional tattooing practice known as ‘batok’ is the technique of using a bamboo stick and thorn. (Phil life, 2018) This has been used for a thousand years, making it a very well-known part of the culture. Whang-od keeps this historical tradition alive by being the last ‘mambabatok’ alive in her community, so in a way, she is keeping an important part of her people’s collective identity alive. In an article, Whang-od’s own tattoos were mentioned. ‘Her body could be described as a piece of art. It tells the story of her life, work, and even some former romances.’ (Edward, 2023) Her own tattoos tell her life story and make up a huge part of her identity. For Filipinos, getting indigenous tattoos ‘carries a long history,’ and can be seen as ‘reconnecting with their roots and their selves.’ (Carpio, 2023) 

An idea that relates to Whang-od’s work is how ‘Identity invokes identification with a group/others.’ Her tattoo designs help identify the people of her Kalingan tribe. It is their way of representing themselves to others and it represents their life experiences. It is relevant towards my graphic media project as it’s a historical tradition within my culture. Through learning about this artist, I feel closer to my heritage/origins, which is the theme for my box. I chose this artist because tattoos are an interest to me. I enjoy looking at the fine line detailing and meaning behind each individual tattoo as they show worth to one's identity.

Amendral, A (2017) ‘At 100 or So, She Keeps a Philippine Tattoo Tradition Alive’, The New York Times, Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times

Carpio, A (2023) Apo Whang-Od And The Indelible Marks of Filipino Identity, Available at: Apo Whang-Od And The Indelible Marks Of Filipino Identity - Verve times

Edward, D (2023) From warriors to Vogue: 106-year-old tattoo artist preserving an endangered tradition, itvX, Available at: From warriors to Vogue: 106-year-old tattoo artist preserving an endangered tradition | ITV News

Melanes, M (2013) ‘Skin as archive of history, culture, identity’, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Available at: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/485029/skin-as-archive-of-history-culture-identity

Phil life (2018) Mambabatok: Tattoo tradition in the Philippines: Available at: Mambabatok: Tattoo tradition in the Philippines | Culture | Phillife.co

Ratcliffe. R (2023) ‘Indigenous tattooist becomes Vogue's oldest ever cover star art 106’, The Guardian, Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/03/indigenous-tattooist-apo-whang-od-vogue-oldest-cover-star-106-philippines

[edonascriticaldesign]

Conceptual Sample: Cpie's Traditional Hand-tapped Tattoo by Apo Whang-Od

Whang-od's "signature" tattoo consists of three dots, representing herself and her blood-related apprentices and representing a next generation in her art.

Apo Whang-Od, the sprightly centenarian also known as Maria Oggay, has been hand-tapping tattoos on skin since she was a teenager. It was only within the last 15 years or so that her clientele—and her renown–exploded beyond the Cordillera region, with thousands of visitors coming from all over the world, all seeking the exquisite pain of the soot-stained thorn.  

“I didn’t plan to do this when I grew up,” she explains. “When I was little, girls only had the option of becoming housewives. But my uncle and father were the tribe’s tattoo artists, and when they became too old, they asked me to take over so that we could still afford to buy rice.”

[inmanila2018]

Die berühmteste - und mit 106 Jahren auch älteste - Philippinische Tattoo Künstlerin

Apo Whang-Od auch Whang-od Oggay oder Maria Oggay

Am Cover von VOGUE (und in der Kronen Zeitung).

[newstattoos]

MANILA – Vogue Philippines has put 106-year-old Apo Whang-Od on the cover of its April issue, making the revered tattoo artist the oldest person to ever appear on the front page of Vogue – still the world’s pre-eminent fashion magazine. The cover has Whang-Od – also known as Maria Oggay – staring straight into the camera, her lips slightly parte...