Whang Od's trademark

My portrait

In Buscalan, Kalinga province, 98 year old Whang-od Oggay or simply "Whang Od" lives and thrives with her art called "pambabatok" or traditional tattooing. She is the oldest and the last of her generation of Kalinga mambabatoks. 

Whang Od is highly regarded for her work in the preservation of their tribal identity since World War II. It is no secret, however, that due to old age, cultural advocates are anxious about the influx of tourists in Kalinga who want to see 'the,' and be tattooed by, Whang Od, herself.

Critics dismiss this trend as anything from exploiting the rich Kalinga art form, to immersing in pop culture (where people are more into the 'pop' aspect of the visit than in knowing their 'culture'), to subjecting the almost centenarian to intensive labor than her frail body and eyesight can manage.

I won't deny my aspiration of meeting Whang Od in person because to me, she's a living museum. I think it would be a memorable opportunity to sit with her and ask her about the art form, her reasons for keeping it alive, and the inevitable day when she has to wash down the ink and clean her container for good.

Plenty of videos have previously surfaced on the net about these topics but until I hear from her, then I can gauge whether I will get a tattoo or just witness her leave her mark on someone else's body—turning it into enviable historical artifact while I settle on being a reliable witness.

For me, there are three obvious courses of action when one meets Whang Od:

1) The Fan. Greet, smile, and ask for a picture with the 'living legend.' Tell her where you're from and what brings you to their remote village. Post on Instagram with #blessed. If you can afford to bring a Polaroid camera, ask her for a signature and perhaps request for the same ink that she uses when tattooing. When Whang Od's relatives ask if you will get a tattoo, say you'll think about it or you'll get permission from your parents, first. 

2) The Culture Vulture. Come early morning in the village and approach her assistant so you can get in line first. Bring a draft of your preferred tattoo design and ask help from translators so Whang Od can get your rationale. If applicable, show her your other tattoos to prove that you're legit and you're not just there for the 'likes.' Make sure you can get through the pain of the 'pambabatok' process because as you know, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As a true cultural advocate and a tattoo aficionado, you know that having a Whang Od tattoo over your dead body equates to bringing another portrait to decorate heaven with.

3) Journalist/Blogger. Yes, you go through days of travelling the Cordillera highlands to finally see Whang Od in action. You document her every move and imply deeper meaning to her simplest nuance like, maybe moving her eyes, taking deep sighs, stretching her worn out arms, and washing her tattoo equipment. You narrate how she reacts alone and within the community, and how her tribesmen and neighbors respond to her celebrity. You end your journey with a question if Whang Od is indeed a national living cultural treasure or if the government and our people take her for granted just like other tourist attractions.

To fit in any of these categories is not at all unfortunate. Whang Od's legacy has been primed once locals and foreign nationals realize that she could be gone soon. She has been doing this since the post-World War but we only see her now. Whang Od's body and eye sight may be frail but we are the ones trying to catch up with her and her trademark.

Think about it, we have invented the emojis, hashtags, memes, and chat acronyms to decorate our communication and self expression but we are also the ones willing to travel for days and line up for hours to get that painful, long-lasting ink in our bodies. We are so busy making a mark as a generation and in order to do that, we seek the help from older ones like Whang Od. We cannot erase that fact; it's like our collective tattoo.