It would be a shame to visit the Philippines without exploring the tribe of the oldest tattoo artist in the world, Apo Whang-Od. This legendary woman has been tattooing people for more than 80 years now and truly is a national treasure.
On my way to Bali for an internship, I stopped in Shanghai for a long layover, but also in the Philippines for a 4 days solo backpacking trip. I asked myself how I could make the most of my time there and found the absolute best way… A trip to the middle of nowhere in the Mountain Province!
I heard about the famous and legendary woman Apo Whang-Od several times and was really intrigued. What could be better to discover a part of Filipinos culture? Before getting more into the details of Apo Whang-Od biography, Apo Whang-Od tattoos and Apo Whang-Od location, you can check out the video I did about the whole experience.
Who is Apo Whang-Od?
Apo Whang-Od age is as legendary as the woman herself. She turned 103 years old when I booked my Apo Whang-Od tour package in 2019. It makes her THE oldest tattoo artist in the world.
She is also the last Mambabatok (traditional Kalinga tattooists) and is part of the Butbut people of the larger Kalinga ethnic group. She is keeping alive a 1000 year Filipino tradition. Traditionally, only men with special tattooing ancestry could learn the art. Apo Whang-Od was an exception due to her talent seen by her father, the master tattooist of Buscalan.
She has been doing tattoos on headhunters and indigenous people of Butbut since she was 15 years old and has always added 3 dots as her art signature. The Butbut warriors, who used to earn tattoos through protecting villages or killing enemies, no longer exist. Despite that, Whang Od continues to tattoo tourists visiting Buscalan. She well earned her place on the list of Filipinos who transformed the nation.
Apo Whang-Od tour package 2020
After spending a day in Manila at the incredible Z Hostel, I decided I NEEDED to go from Manila to Apo Whang–Od ! I trusted Corhey Travel & Tours for this crazy road trip. And let me tell you, the Road to Buscalan is not an easy one.
Doing it through a travel agency is way safer and it allows you to avoid the pain in the ass of having to book several buses and jeepneys. The organisation takes care of the car and tour guide. It’s a long ten to fifteen hours trip in the mountains so if you’re usually sick, I strongly advised taking preventive medicine.
At the parking, a tour guide will take the leadership of the group and you’ll walk through wonderful small paths in the mountains and rice terraces to join Buscalan village. Once arrived, you’ll need to register. Depending on how busy Apo Whang-Od is, you may not get a tattoo from her on the day of your arrival. But you can get one from her nieces, Grace and Ilyang, to whom she untrusted her knowledge.
Apo Whang-Od tattoo design and meaning
Each symbol she tattoos has a different meaning. Apo Whang–Od tattoo designs are usually tribal prints, animals or forms like circles and lines. Some of them represent nature like the sun or the mountains, and others have deeper meaning, like strength or infertility. Apo Whang–Od best tattoo, or I would rather say, the one she did the most, is her signature. This is three aligned dots, that can easily be tattooed anywhere on the body.
Kalinga Tattoo : how she does it?
We were lucky enough to be taken care of on our first morning there. Apo, seated on a little stool on the ground, was already working on someone’s design when we arrived. It was quite impressive to see as she’s repeatedly hitting the skin with her traditional hand tools. She uses a lemon thorn needle that is attached to the end of a small bamboo stick and to another shorter stick to tap the thorn into the skin. The ink is a mixture of water and soot. Pambabatok, compared to other conventional tattooing techniques, is relatively painful. But if you’re only doing the three dots, it’s only a matter of minutes.
During the whole weekend, the village took really good care of us. We slept in one of the bamboo houses all together and ate a fish & rice breakfast, a nice dinner and another breakfast with the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.
Travelling truly allows you to open your eyes, mind and heart. That’s why it can be so challenging sometimes. Travel basically is all about learning how to travel with no money and how to swim in the unknown, outside of our comfort zone.
It also teaches you how to feel deeply with the fear of getting attached to places and people you may never see again. But that’s also what makes those experiences so beautiful, worth it and rewarding !
