The Quest for Whang-Od, the last living tribal tattoo artist in the Philippines

My brother mentioned that he wanted to have a tattoo by Whang-Od in Kalinga. He said she may be the last living tribal tattoo artist in the country. At age 93, she has a few remaining years left.

Upon hearing the story, I wanted to go, to see and meet Whang-Od.Not specifically to get a tattoo, but just to meet her and see the life she lives. And so i did my research online, piecing together tidbits of information from various blogs and articles until I tumbled upon two crucial relevant information--how to get there and who can guide us around.

The fastest way to get to Whang-Od's home in Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga is through Bontoc. And perhaps the most convenient way to Bontoc is via Cable Tours (Contact: +63.929.819.4688, Location: E. Rodriguez QC, behind Trinity College). Note: you would need to reserve tickets via phone.

Also, for first-time travellers you would need a guide to go to Whang-Od, and for that, Francis Pa-in (+63915.769.08.43) is the man .

Cable Tours bus. Stop-over somewhere very foggy

We were supposed to travel December 26-30, like our almost annual family adventure trips. But when we contacted Francis he mentioned that he has 3 other groups that time and recommended that we go Jan 11 instead.  And so we did.

We took the 8:30pm Manila-Bontoc bus trip. Our ETA was 830 AM but due to traffic, road constructions, and perhaps longer stop-overs, we arrived 9:15AM. Francis met us by the bus stop and mentioned that our transfer bus going to Buscalan has already left the 9 am trip so we needed to wait for the next jeep leaving by 1 PM.  We rested for a while, went to Bontoc Museum, had quick lunch and to the jeep going to Buscalan.

When you're in the north, you got to ride top load of a jeep. The air is fresh, the view is spectacular. Imagine, moving parallel to the Chico river with mountain ranges and rice terraces alternating on the background. But the ride is quite uncomfortable, having yourself sitted on iron bars finding that perfect spot to position your butt cheeks, at the same time keeping your balance and grabbing something you can while riding the bumpy, winding, on-the-edge-of-a-cliff road.

View from the topload. Chico River + Rice Terraces

Best seat .

Co-passengers on the topload. 

After an 1.5 hour ride, we alighted at Bgy. Bugnay. From here, we start our journey by foot.And it donned on me, I'm not physically prepared for this trip. No Exercise + Holiday Weight = Oh No moment. With a heavy backpack filled with 4-day worth of clothes, toiletry kit with loads of bottles of stuff, canned goods and snacks, I can only take a few inclined steps. Francis, our guide, volunteered to exchange backpack with me. His load is a bit lighter, but I still have to battle against the inclined soil steps. For a moment, I wanted to turn around or at least turn-on my whiny mode, but I didn't want to cause delay or hassle to my brothers. I came all the way here to see Whang-Od, and that's what I will do.

Two hour trek

Thank God the initial steep inclined only lasted for less than 30 minutes, then we walked a long flat scenic route. And then we entered a forest, walked along its slippery steps, passing by water falls, and make-shift bridges over a ravine, rice terraces, and  another set of steep steps. My feet hurt, my calves hurt, my right knee hurts. At moments, I regret all the sweets I ate over the holidays and all the times I chose to take the escalator rather than the stairs. School children passed by us (ok just me), and my pride was challenged. I was grasping for breath, sweating buckets, thinking how physically impossible this task may be. Then these school just walked happily, telling stories and laughing. And they do this every single day.

Don't look down

At last we arrived Whang-Od's village. When we arrived, she was on the "bukid"/fields. This 93 year-old lady still goes farming! A few minutes later Whang-Od arrived. She is a very sweet old lady who doesn't speak a word of English or Tagalog. Francis, our guide, translates for us.

Some of the men from the village went to the house and we shared some of the Tanduay Rhum we brought. Apparently, hard drinks are not available/allowed in that area (even in Bontoc). But beer is allowed, and grass is abundant. The bottle of Tanduay only lasted for a few minutes, then the men dispersed one by one.

Whang-Od drinking with the guests

Dinner

We were called for dinner by the kitchen where we ate vegetables sauteed with the can of sardines we brought. About 7PM we were ready to sleep. I dozed off by 8PM and woke up the next morning by the sounds of rain hitting the roof and the ground.

My initial thought was 'how are we going to trek back with this rain'.  Eventually, the rain subsided to light shower. We had breakfast. Whang-Od did performed her tattoo tradition on my brother.

Kalinga traditional tattoo process of hand-tapping is called "batok". Whang-Od creates ink by mixing "uling"/charcoal collected from the bottom of the rice pot as it cooks over fire and fresh water.The combination will make a dark paste called "merteka". Using a dry straw, she draws a template on the skin. Then using a thorn of pomelo as a needle and a stick to hold it in place, her precise hand would lightly tap on the stick to pierce the skin. The process is repeated several times until the tattoo is dark enough. My brother's tattoo took about an hour to finish.

The charcoal collected from the bottom of the rice pot makes the "Merteka"

Whang-Od

After, we walked up the village and saw how the Tinglayans live. I am overwhelmed on the simplicity of their lives. They grow and harvest what they eat.What they plant and harvest from the fields are for their family's consumption and not for selling.  They make what they need. They are very peaceful, polite people. Quite hard to reconcile that they are from a lineage of headhunters. We distributed some matchsticks to the villagers and candies to their children. Then we returned back to Whang-Od's house to say our thank you's and goodbyes.

traditional Kalinga house

"Baboy-ramo"/ Wild boar

The children of Buscalan asking us for some candies

The blacksmiths.

  

I purchased my first hunting knife

with Whang-Od

We trekked back under scattered rain, and we reached Bugnay soaking wet. A few minutes after, the bus going to Bontoc arrived. We quickly said goodbye to Francis and boarded the bus. In the quite uneventful ride back, I relived in my mind the awesome cultural immersion we had in less than 24 hours. Though I did not get a tattoo permanently inked on my body, the experience of living in a Tinglayan village and in Whang-Od's home will forever be tattooed in my mind and my heart. And maybe,the next time I visit Whang-Od, I'll have the courage to be a canvass to tribal art.