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| A photo of Apo Whang Od while tattooing a tourist. |
Apo Whang Od is an indigenous tattoo artist from Kalinga province who uses an old style of tattooing called "Batok," or traditional hand-tapped tattooing. She became prominent because she has been featured on local TV shows, international documentaries, magazines, and others.
How to Get to Kalinga:
- This event was organized by TakeFive Outdoors.
- Traveling from Manila to Buscalan, Kalinga, is literally a pain in the ass because it's a 12-hour land journey, including a few stops over by the highway.
- ETD from Manila was at 9:40 PM. ETA in Bontoc, Mountain Province was around 6:30 AM.
- ETA at the jump-off or Parking Area in Buscalan was 8:40 AM.
After getting out of the van, I felt a rewarding ambiance - a very cool and relaxing ambiance. The next part was an hour-long assault trek to Butbut Tribe in Tinglayan. No worries about the hiking part. Pathways to the village were already concrete. While on the trail, I saw the surroundings appear like a massive painting in the background because of the mountains, covered with greens and colorful ornamental plants.
We reached the village around 9:30 AM. Similar to what I mentioned earlier, the weather is cool, plus the people are welcoming. We proceeded to a local house offering a "homestay." To welcome us, they offered a coffee made from roasted rice. Rested for almost an hour and had a walk in the village. The cute animals, such as pigs and chickens, are scattered everywhere and live like locals.
Grace Palicas and Ilyang Wigan:
- We were a few meters away from a spot with many people encircling somebody. I already knew that we had finally reached the area where the "batok" was being performed because of the sound of two sticks being hand-tapped.
- The lines of Whang Od, Grace Palicas, and Ilyang Wigan were like a scenario from a movie house with a blockbuster movie screening. Instead, had my paparazzi mode activated, with Whang Od's photos below:
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| Photo: Grace Palicas, Whang Od's grandniece. |
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| Photo: Ilyang Wigan, a bloodline successor. |
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| Photo: Whang Od taking a selfie with tourists. |
We waited with the other event participants until 4PM to get at least Whang Od's signature (the 3 dots), and they could have it. Since I already have a tattoo from Whang Od with the signature, I tried waiting for Grace or Ilyang; however, I failed. Then, I returned to the homestay where I met "May-A," a 13-year-old girl and one of the youngest mambabatoks in the tribe. I showed her the arrangement of my designs and let her do it. Since it was already dark, we could not finish the entire design. Had our dinner and slept.
My body automatically wakes up at around 3 in the morning, even without setting an alarm; even though I was tired because of our travel to Kalinga, I could not go back to sleep. Instead, I turned on my iPod, listened to Linkin Park songs, and checked my photos while the others still slept. When a beam of light passed through space and appeared on the wall, I grabbed my camera, stood up, and went out of the house to check the cold-foggy surroundings.
As expected, Buscalan, Kalinga, has a fantastic ambiance during the day and evening. When I opened the door, I was wearing a sando; I easily felt the fresh, calm wind and then proceeded to the rice field area to see the village surrounded by fog. Other tourists were also unstoppable to capture that moment.
Traditionally, a tattoo is a sign of strength, power, wealth, and beauty. In Buscalan, Kalinga, Batok already existed a thousand years ago, earned by the male warriors and headhunters after a victorious battle or protecting their village against enemies. At the same time, Batok for women means beauty and wealth. Its ink is composed of charcoal and water, hand-tapped into the skin using a pair of sticks with a thorn of a calamansi or pomelo tree at the end.
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| Photo: An elder of Butbut Tribe with Batok. |
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| A photo with May-a after tattoo session. |
I was the last one to have a tattoo. So, after the session, I had my breakfast with the others. Packed our things and descended. Since my tattoos were still fresh, it hurt every time my bag shoulder strap hit it, but I managed. The photo above was taken at the jump-off, proof that Tinglayan, Buscalan, and Kalinga are MUST-visit places! I will definitely be back here. Next was another 12-hour trip back to Manila.
Apo Whang Od Tattoo Meaning:
- The first tattoo is the Serpent Eagle for guidance, or someone is watching over us.
- The Sun or circle in the middle is for success and prosperity.
- And a Scorpion for Courage. Also my Chinese Zodiac sign.
- My own interpretation: "My original plan was to have an image similar to an arrow pointing upwards (like the serpent eagle) that symbolizes moving up or aiming for the highest. Circle for prosperity and success. Six triangles (with dots inside) on top of the circle are for me and my 5 siblings. And a Scorpion. Also, my personality is like a scorpion; I am very calm and silent but poisonous, hahahaha. cheret lang!
- The tattoo's position: Why is it on my upper right back? I want a tattoo placed on my back, which can only be seen if I wear a sando or topless. I am left-handed and want the tattoo on the opposite side, the upper right back side. Using my left hand, I need to touch or reach the tattoo, meaning I want the moving attitude, success, prosperity, and courage to be reachable, whatever happens.