The first sound I heard upon reaching Buscalan was that of heaving and panting. A group of us had just completed a steep climb to the remote village, which is tucked deep into the undulating mountains of the Philippines’ Kalinga province.
But, like me, my fellow travelers didn’t make this 12-hour journey just for the breathtaking views of rolling rice terraces — we were there to meet Apo Whang-Od Oggay.
At 107 years old, Whang-Od is the world’s oldest tattoo artist. She’s been practicing “batok,” a traditional form of tattooing used by the region’s indigenous tribes, since she was just a teenager.
For over nine decades, she’s been hand-tapping tattoos inspired by agriculture and the local landscape. She has inked tribal warriors with elaborate geometric patterns and women of the Butbut tribe with symbols of fertility.
Whang-Od taps the tattoo on my arm
Whang-Od hammers away on a visitor’s arm
Portrait of Whang-Od dressed in traditional Butbut attire
