Whang-od
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Whang-od Oggay (first name pronunciation: ; born February 17, 1917 or March 6, 1919), also known as Maria Oggay, is a tattoo artist from the village of Buscalan within
Tinglayan Tinglayan, officially the Municipality of Tinglayan is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Kalinga (province), Kalinga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 13,148 ...
, 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. At the age of 11, she began tattooing Butbut headhunters and women. Butbut warriors traditionally earned tattoos from deeds in combat. With the end of tribal warfare in the region, Whang-od continues to practice traditional tattooing on tourists visiting Buscalan. Unlike the majority of Filipinos, she does not speak
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...
, Filipino, or
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
. She only communicates in Kalinga, her native language, and Ilocano, a
lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...
of Northern Luzon. In April 2023, 106-year-old Whang-od appeared on the cover of ''Vogue Philippines'' Beauty Issue, making her the oldest living person to ever be on the cover of ''Vogue''. The
National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA; , ) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. It is the overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, d ...
(NCCA) conferred on Whang-od the prestigious ''Dangal ng Haraya Award'' at
Tabuk Tabuk may refer to: *Tabuk, Kalinga, the capital city of Kalinga province of the Philippines *Tabuk Province, a province of Saudi Arabia **Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, capital city of the province ** Tabuk Regional Airport *Expedition of Tabuk, a military ...
, the capital of Whang-od's ethnic province of Kalinga, in 2018. She was nominated for the National Living Treasures Award (Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan) in 2017. Her nomination is still being processed by the NCCA.


Biography


Career

Whang-od started tattooing at the age of 15, a traditional artform that she learned from her father who was considered a master tattooist in the region. Traditionally, only men with special tattooing ancestry were allowed to learn the art. Whang-od was an exception due to her talent and potential seen by her father. In later life, Whang-od's chosen apprentices consisted of only women, breaking the patrimonial tradition for the first time in recorded Kalinga history. Despite breaking tradition, her community accepted her decision. She has been doing the ''batok'', the traditional hand-tapped tattooing, on male headhunters who earned the tattoos by protecting villages or killing enemies. She also tattoos women of the Butbut people in Buscalan, Kalinga, primarily for aesthetic purposes. As a traditional Kalinga tattooist or ''mambabatok'', she has done fortune telling and chants while doing tattoos. Every design she creates contains symbolic meanings specific to the ''mambabatok'' culture. For example, a warrior who had killed an enemy would be given an eagle tattoo upon his return from battle. She was first tattooed as a teenager with the designs consisting of a ladder and a python. The python tattoo was especially important in her people's sacred stories. According to their indigenous religion, the python scale tattoo was first given to Lagkunawa, a beautiful noblewoman from the village of Tinglayan (Whang-od's home village). It was a gift from the hero-god Banna, who fell in love with the mortal. Ever since, the tattoo was passed on through the generations. ''Fatok'' is the term used for tattooing women to show beauty and wealth. When a woman's arm is tattooed just like Whang-od's own tattoos, the family of the woman is obliged to pay the tattoo artist a piglet or a bundle of harvested rice (locally called as ''dalan''). On the other hand, ''fi-ing'' is the term used for tattooing of male Butbut warriors on their chests and arms. Whang-od used to practice ''fi-ing'' until headhunting was discouraged by the government. ''Fi-ing'' was last practiced in 1972. Though headhunters no longer exist, Whang-od still applies the tattoos on Buscalan tourists. She however no longer chants when tattooing tourists, as the chants are only for the beautification of Kalinga women and for the celebration of Kalinga men's victory in battle. Some of her notable customers include
Rhian Ramos Rhian Denise Ramos Howell (born October 3, 1990), known as Rhian Ramos (), is a Filipino actress, commercial model, singer, host and race car driver. Life and career Rhian Denise Ramos Howell was born in Makati on October 3, 1990 to Gareth H ...
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Drew Arellano Andrew James Estrella Arellano (; born January 16, 1980) is a Filipino actor and host. He is one of the traveling hosts of the daily morning show, ''Unang Hirit'' and the host of informative/educational show '' AHA!'' on GMA Network. He is al ...
,
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and
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. Her early tattoo works did not earn her any income but due to the influx of tourists in her town, she was earning at least
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5,000 a day for her tattooing in 2015. She accepts around twenty to thirty customers every day. She only does simple tattoos nowadays due to her advanced age. Her apprentices, all women, have continued the tradition for her and their people. The tattoo ink she uses is composed of indigenous materials, usually a mixture of charcoal and water that is tapped into the skin using a thorn from a
calamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
or
pomelo The pomelo ( ; or pummelo, ''Citrus maxima''), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fr ...
tree. This ancient technique of ''batok'' dates back a thousand years and is relatively painful compared to conventional techniques. She uses designs found in nature and basic geometric shapes. She has numerous signature tattoos, but since 2017, her signature tattoo is composed of three dots, representing herself and her two apprentices, depicted as a continuation of the art form from the older to the next generation. Aside from being a tattoo artist, Whang-od is a respected village elder and plays the
nose flute The nose flute is a musical instrument often played in Polynesia and the Pacific Rim countries. Other versions are found in Africa. Hawaii In the North Pacific, in the Hawaiian Islands the nose flute was a common courting instrument. In H ...
. She also does agricultural tasks such as feeding pigs and chickens, and cultivating rice. As of February 17, 2025, her age is now at 108, breaking the record of Tandang Sora.


Personal life

When she was very young, Whang-od had a boyfriend named Ang-Batang, a Butbut warrior. She performed a ''batok'' on Ang-Batang after the warrior's first victory in a battle. Many elders opposed her relations with Ang-Batang, believing the man's bloodline was not pure. A marriage was eventually arranged for Ang-Batang and Whang-od's best friend Hogkajon. Ang-Batang died as the result of a logging accident when Whang-od was 25 years old. She later decided never to marry and has no children, leaving no direct descendants to continue her legacy as a ''mambabatok'' or traditional Kalinga tattoo artist. She had relationships with other Kalinga warriors, but remained unmarried due to her vow. According to tradition, her tattooing skills can only be inherited through lineage. Whang-od believes that if someone outside the bloodline starts tattooing, the tattoos will become infected. The influence of modernity meant that the young people of her village were no longer interested in embracing the tattooing works of their elders for decades, until a rise in appreciation of Indigenous ways in the 21st century paved the way for the conservation of the art form in Buscalan. Whang-od has trained Grace Palicas, her grandniece, and Ilyang Wigan, another bloodline successor, to continue her people's tattoo artistry. More bloodline successors have gradually become interested in their people's artforms, including a 12-year-old named Den Wigan. However, these successors have not performed the other works of a ''mambabatok,'' and their own tattoos are not as intricate as those of Whang-od. Furthermore, according to Filipino anthropologist Analyn Salvador-Amores, the other ''batok'' traditions, which include chanting and fortune-telling, and the revelation of the symbolic meanings of the tattoos, may fade away with Whang-od because these are not transferred to her successors. Chanting and fortune-telling are only performed for the
Kalinga people The Kalinga people () are an indigenous ethnic group whose ancestral domain is in the Cordillera Mountain Range of the northern Philippines. They are mainly found in Kalinga province which has an area of 3,282.58 sq. km. Some of them, howe ...
, never for people outside the ethnic sphere. With that, Whang-od may be the last ''mambabatok'' of her village, unless the indigenous Kalinga peoples themselves formally choose to get traditional tattoos as part of their modern culture, and her apprentices master the elaborate and highly difficult tattoo chanting arts before she dies.


Legacy and cultural impact

Senator
Nancy Binay Maria Lourdes "Nancy" Sombillo Binay Angeles (born May 12, 1973) is a Filipino politician who is the mayor-elect of Makati, having been elected in 2025 to replace her sister Abby. She has served as a senator of the Philippines since 2013. ...
stated that Whang-od's impact on Filipino culture has helped raise awareness and keep the knowledge, tradition, and culture of Kalinga tattoos alive and known for the younger generations and people outside of Filipino culture. The practice of Kalinga tattoos was almost extinct and the idea was obscure, "The tradition of Batok has changed with the modern times in the last millennia." Whang-od's title as the "Last Kalinga Tattoo Artist" will soon be inaccurate. It is said Whang-od is now teaching 20 young girls, plus her grandnieces the art of ''mambabatok'' so that the tradition and knowledge will not die with her and so that her legacy will be carried through her students and grandnieces. Out of the twenty young students that she teaches, only Grace Palicas and Ilyang Wigan are considered her only real apprentices; due to tradition, the apprenticeship of batok must only be passed down and taught to blood relatives. Whang-od's "signature" tattoo consists of three dots, representing herself and her blood-related apprentices and representing a next generation in her art. These Kalinga tattoos, despite consisting of symbols occurring in nature carrying simple geometric patterns, do not carry the same meaning they had when they were earned through warfaring culture.


Centenary

According to various sources, Whang-od was born on February 17, 1917, and she
turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...
in 2017 making her eligible to receive benefits from the Philippine government as per Centenarians Act of 2016 or
Republic Act This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Sources of Philippine laws ;Notes : *Customs may be considered as supplementary source of law, however, customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not ...
10868. However, the government and some groups doubted her claim as she has not presented any valid documents to prove her birth date. There were no birth date recordings in many hinterland areas in the Philippines, such as Buscalan, during the time Whang-od was said to be born, namely because of the impossibility of traversing the area at the time, recordings of birth dates on paper was not a part of the community's culture at the time, and past ethnic tensions that fueled tribal wars. In June 2017, she received a Philippine postal ID that formally recognized her date of birth as February 17, 1917, making her eligible for benefits under the Centenarians Act.


Recognition

Due to Whang-od's status as the last ''mambabatok'' of her generation, her role in bringing awareness to a form of traditional tattooing and training several practitioners, many
netizen The term ''netizen'' is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and ''citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.
s were lobbying her to be one of the
National Artists of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines (Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an Order (distinction), order bestowed by the President of the Philippines on Philippine nationality law, ...
. the hashtag campaign (#WangOdNationalArtist) started in September 2015 and the hashtag was shared through social media about 11 thousand times after almost a month. Some netizens were campaigning for her to be given the National Living Treasures Award instead. In 2015, then Senator
Miriam Defensor Santiago Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago (June 15, 1945 – September 29, 2016) was a Filipino scholar, academic, lawyer, judge, author, stateswoman, and politician who served in all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executive, and l ...
urged her colleagues in the
Philippine Senate The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives as the lower house. The Senate is composed of 24 senators who are elected at-large (the country f ...
through a resolution that Whang-od should be nominated as one of the National Living Treasures (GAMABA or ''Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan'' in
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...
), who are of equal rank to National Artists. Senator
Nancy Binay Maria Lourdes "Nancy" Sombillo Binay Angeles (born May 12, 1973) is a Filipino politician who is the mayor-elect of Makati, having been elected in 2025 to replace her sister Abby. She has served as a senator of the Philippines since 2013. ...
through a senate resolution in June 2016 enjoined the Philippine senate to nominate Whang-od as a National Living Treasure. Likewise, her nomination as National Artist or National Living Treasure has been backed by Senator and United Nations ambassador
Loren Legarda Lorna Regina "Loren" Bautista Legarda (born January 28, 1960) is a Filipina politician, environmentalist, cultural worker, and former journalist who is currently serving as a Senator and served as the president pro tempore of the Senate of the ...
through a separate Senate resolution. Former National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA) chair Felipe de Leon Jr. also expressed his support for Whang-od's nomination and argued that the role of a ''mambabatok'' is to become the beacon of togetherness and support of the community. He also added that she aids her community through tattooing tourists and she is practicing traditional Kalinga art form as means of living and therefore should be eligible for both the National Living Treasure Award and the National Artists Award. Filipino anthropologist and
University of the Philippines Baguio The University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB; ), also referred to as UP in the North or UP Baguio, is a public university, public Research university, research university located in Baguio, Philippines. It was established in 1921 through the i ...
professor Analyn Salvado-Amores said that though she has no objections on Whang-od's nomination to the GAMABA, Whang-od might not get conferred because she earns from tattooing and one of the requirement for a GAMABA award is to practice the craft without making any profit from it. However, if the raised issue would hinder her declaration as National Living Treasure, then she may still be nominated for the National Artist Award, which is same in rank to the National Living Treasure Award. Whang-od was formally nominated to the National Living Treasures Award during the 66th Manila Fame event on October 21, 2017. The nomination was accepted by the NCCA through a ceremony within the event. NCCA is finalizing the documents to confer Whang-od and have the
Philippine President The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in- ...
to sign it. Once conferred, Whang-od would get a gold medallion, a monthly allowance of Php 14,000 and a starting grant of Php 100,000. On February 28, 2018, the Senate of the Philippines unanimously passed a resolution supporting and nominating Whang-od for the GAMABA. On June 12, 2018, the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA; , ) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. It is the overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, d ...
announced that the prestigious ''Dangal ng Haraya Award'' will be given to Whang-od on June 25 at
Tabuk, Kalinga Tabuk, officially the City of Tabuk (; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Kalinga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 121,033 people making it the most populous in the province. Etymology Th ...
, the capital of Whang-od's home province. The final stages of the GAMABA (National Living Treasures Award) Committee is still ongoing. On February 14, 2024, Whang-od received the Presidential Medal of Merit from President
Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
. On May 1, 2024,
Michelle Dee Michelle Daniela Marquez Dee (; born April 24, 1995) is a Filipino actress, model, TV host, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2023. She represented the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2023 competition in ...
got her arm tattooed by Whang-od with her three dots signature. She then playfully “crowned” Whang-od as "beauty queen", while the latter signed Dee’s tattoo-inspired long black gown sketch inspired by Whang-od. Dee also gave her a jersey with text “Filipinas 2023” in front, and “MMD” printed in the back.


Events

Whang-od was present during Dutdutan Tattoo Expo 2012 held in the Philippines where she had her own booth. Whang-od's image is included in an exhibit at the
Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...
in Canada. The exhibit is entitled ''Tattoos: Ritual. Identity. Obsession. Art'' and it was first shown on April 2, 2016. Exhibitors chose the photograph from several photos from another exhibit at Musee Du Quai Branly in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. They did not know about Whang-od until a visitor told them. In October 2017, Whang-od together with Palicas and Wigan, her apprentices and grandnieces, went to Metro Manila to show their craftsmanship at the 66th Manila Fame trade show. Organizers of the Manila Fame was criticized after a photo that went viral in social media surfaced.


Television features

American
anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
Lars Krutak Lars Krutak (April 14, 1971) is an American anthropologist, photographer, and writer known for his research about tattoo and its cultural background. He produced and hosted the 10-part documentary series ''Tattoo Hunter'' on the Discovery Channe ...
visited Kalinga in 2007 and documented Whang-od's tattoo works. The episode of Krutak's 10-part series ''Tattoo Hunter'' featured on
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
became the start of presenting the Kalinga culture and Whang-od to a global audience. In 2010, she was also featured in ''
i-Witness ''i-Witness'', formerly ''i-Witness: The GMA Documentaries'' is a Philippine television documentary show broadcast by GMA Network and GMA News TV. Originally hosted by Vicky Morales, Luchi Cruz-Valdes, Mike Enriquez, Cheche Lazaro and Jessi ...
'', a documentary television program of
GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
, that was documented by
Kara David Kara Patria Constantino David-Cancio (; born September 12, 1973) is a Filipino journalist, host, professor, and educational administrator. She is known because of investigative and multi-awarded documentaries in ''i-Witness''. These documentar ...
. In 2017, Whang-od was featured in the ''Dayaw'' series of the NCCA and
ABS-CBN News Channel The ABS-CBN News Channel, commonly known as ANC, is a 24/7 Philippine pay television news channel. It was launched in 1996 as the first all-news network in English language. The majority of its programs are produced by ABS-CBN News and Curre ...
, where her contributions to the country's national identity and heritage were presented by former NCCA Chairman Felipe De Leon Jr. and Senator
Loren Legarda Lorna Regina "Loren" Bautista Legarda (born January 28, 1960) is a Filipina politician, environmentalist, cultural worker, and former journalist who is currently serving as a Senator and served as the president pro tempore of the Senate of the ...
. Her life story was featured in ''Wagas'', a
GMA News TV GMA News TV (GNTV; visually rendered in uppercase in its logo) is a 24-hour Philippine-based international pay television channel owned by Citynet Network Marketing and Productions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of GMA Network Inc. It was ...
's drama series in 2017, where
Janine Gutierrez Janine Marie Elizabeth de Leon Gutierrez (born October 2, 1989) is a Filipino actress and video blogger. In 2020, she won the Best Actress Award at the 68th FAMAS Awards and 43rd Gawad Urian Awards for her role in ''Babae at Baril''. In 2021 ...
portrayed Whang-od.


Alleged Exploitation by Nas Daily

In 2021, social media personality Nuseir Yassin, better known as
Nas Daily Nuseir Yassin (; ; born ) is an Israeli-Palestinian -Kittian vlogger, known as Nas Daily, from the name used on his YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram pages for his over 1,000 daily, one-minute-long videos. Early life and education Yas ...
, created a course featuring Whang-od on his platform
Nas Academy Nuseir Yassin (; ; born ) is an Israeli-Palestinian -Kittian vlogger, known as Nas Daily, from the name used on his YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram pages for his over 1,000 daily, one-minute-long videos. Early life and education Yas ...
. Whang-od’s grandniece Grace Palicas alleged that Yassin did not have proper consent to use Whang-od’s likeness. After Yassin was subject to backlash, the course was ultimately scrapped.


See also

* Philippine tattoos * Visayan tattoos *
Kalinga (province) Kalinga (), officially the Province of Kalinga (; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines situated within the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital (and largest city) is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the sou ...
*
Macli-ing Dulag Macli-ing Dulag (customarily referred to by his first name, also spelled Macliing or Macli'ing (April 13, 1930 – April 24, 1980) was a ''pangat'' (leader) of the Butbut tribe of Kalinga province in the Philippines. He is best known as one of ...


References

{{Authority control 1917 births Living people Filipino artists Filipino women centenarians Filipino tattoo artists Indigenous artists Indigenous peoples of the Philippines People from Kalinga (province) 21st-century Filipino women 20th-century Filipino artists 21st-century Filipino artists 20th-century women artists 21st-century women artists 20th-century Filipino women Women tattoo artists Igorot people