What is the meaning of the tattoo of Apo Wang OD?

Apo Whang-od | © Lee /Flickr. These head hunters were the warriors of their tribe, who protect their villages, to the extent of killing their enemies. For them, it is a symbol of bravery and courage . She also inked the skin of women from the tribe, the tattoos are considered as a sign of beauty and elegance.

What is the meaning of tattooing of the Kalinga?

For men, a Kalinga tattoo was traditionally a sign of strength, wealth and power . But there is also a romanticism around Filipino tribal tattoos. Tattoos here represent beauty. A tattoo turns a girl into a woman, and the more tattoos you have, the more beautiful you are, says the Kalinga.

What is the significance of Whang-OD Mambabatok in the people of Kalinga?

Whang-Od is the oldest tattoo artist in Philippines and the last living mambabatok, which is a traditional Kalinga tattooist. She lives in the small town of Buscalan, in the mountains of Kalinga, creating tattoos since she was just 15.

Why tattoo is important in their culture in Kalinga?

Among Kalinga tribes, batok or tattoos signify prestige, honor, beauty and fortitude . Tattooing is also an essential rite of passage, separation, and transition that one must go through to become a full social person in the community, explained Dr.

What is the meaning of 3 dots tattoo 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 .

What does the sun and moon tattoo mean?

The sun and moon tattoo is a representation of two opposing powers - life & death, good & bad, femininity & masculinity .

Kalinga Tattoo Meanings: Buscalan Travel Guide to Apo Whang-Od (2024)

Getting a Buscalan tattoo from Apo Whang-Od? Here’s what I learned about Kalinga tattoo meanings in this weekend trip from Buscalan to Sagada.

Two things I want to be when I’m older: to be wrinkled and inked.

We never planned on getting a Kalinga tattoo. “Just because we’re going to Buscalan doesn’t mean we have to get tattoos,” we had said weeks ago. But on the very long drive to the home of Apo Whang-Od, we knew we probably won’t come back again soon.

By the end of our Buscalan to Sagada trip, our skins were forever marred by soot and blood from a Kalingamambabatok(traditional tattoo artist).But there were no regrets. This was a much-awaited trip that gave us more than inks on our skins.

So if you’re wondering what to expect from a Buscalan trip and a getting a Kalinga tattoo like us, read on.

Kalinga Tattoo Meanings: Buscalan Travel Guide to Apo Whang-Od (1)

Long Ride for the Buscalan Weather and Coffee

Leaving late at around 10 PM, wetraveled from Manila to Buscalan where the traffic delayed in our itinerary for 6 hours. The road to Tinglayan, Buscalan not for the faint-hearted — it involves hours enduring zigzag roads and dangerous mountain-side ravines that require skilled drivers to navigate. There are no shortcuts or direct flights here, so there’s really no other choice.

My Buscalan Tattoo Experience

We descended into a nipa hut where two lady mambabatoks were at. Their names are Rhenalyn and Rhea. Though not the direct bloodline of tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od, I recommend them for first-timers like me. Their Kalinga tattoo patterns are clean, and their touch is light. Plus they change thorns per person. Sometimes, tourists have their Kalinga tattoos done by anothermambabatokand have Apo Whang Od put her signature.

I requested to have my tattoo at my left inner arm. My chosen Kalinga tattoo design was called “prayer”, which looks like a community with a mountain range backdrop. Having had a tattoo before, the pain was more tolerable — but the position of my tattoo is on tender flesh. The “prayer” design wasn’t too intricate so it took me only around 30-minutes to finish. At a certain point, my ears rang from the constant drumming of the torn and almost lulled me to sleep.

After getting my Buscalan tattoo, we descended to the nipa hut of Apo Whang-Od. What greeted us were long lines and people arguing who should go first to take photos with the elder tattoo artist — at PHP 50 per person.

Traditional Kalinga Tattoo, Pattern, and Design

Batok is a thousand-year tattooing tradition that is a bit more painful than modern methods. The ink used for Kalinga tattoo is made from indigenous materials. Inside a coconut shell is charcoal mixed with water inside pierced into the skin with a sharp thorn needle from a calamansi tree.The first bamboo stick is used for holding the thorn in place, the other is used to tap the first to pierce the skin.

A mambabatok often displays a wooden plank of Kalinga tattoo designs for visitors to choose from. These are symbolic tribal designs that are taken from nature, such as serpents, eagles, snakes, centipedes, and ferns. Perhaps the most traditional design is the lingling-o, which looks like the omega sign (or headphones, actually), meaning fertility. The fern tattoo is pretty popular with the ladies.

Some Kalinga tattoo meanings are more modern such as symbols for a “traveler”, “compass”, “prayer”, and even the arrow. Rhea and Rhenalyn even offered curved designs of “faith, hope, love” which I think is hardly tribal (it comes with a heart shape!).

Some of these Kalinga tattoo patterns are linear or circular. For linear ones, these are usually placed around the wrists, legs, or arms. Circular ones are commonly placed at the back of the neck or the forearm.

Kalinga Tattoo Meanings: Buscalan Travel Guide to Apo Whang-Od (3)

Apo Whang Od’s Signature and Other Buscalan Tattoo Artists

The artist is often as fascinating as the art. Apo Whang-Od is almost synonymous to the traditional Kalinga tattoo art, being considered the last mambabatok. At more than 100 years old, she still wields a strong hand for her craft. She has been tattooing the Butbut people of Kalinga since she was 15.

The mambabatok celebrates the victories of men and beautify women by tattooing, chanting, and fortune-telling. “Fatok” means tattooing women to show beauty and wealth, and the artist is paid with a piglet or harvested rice. “Fi-ing” means tattooing male warriors, as a badge of honor for protecting villages from enemies. Nowadays, there are no more headhunters to be tattooed.

Due to the long lines and the handful of tourists daily, Apo Whang-Od rarely does full-on Kalinga tattoos, let alone chant or do fortune-telling. Instead, she inscribes her signature consisting of three dots — symbolizing herself and her apprentices and grandnieces Grace Palicas and Ilyang Wigan. Though notorious to have lovers, Apo Whang-Od does not have a direct descendant.

Many say that she is the last mambabatok in the Philippines, though there are many tattoo artists not from her bloodline that are emerging. Perhaps it’s a form of tokenism or commercialism, but Apo Whang-Od’s choice to continue tattooing has helped preserve the thousand-years-old art. Millennials and foreigners alike remain mystified about it.