Whang-od

In this Philippine name, the family name is Oggay.

Whang-od
Whang-od tattooing on June 30, 2016
Born
Whang-od Oggay

(1917-02-17) February 17, 1917 (age 107)
Tinglayan, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Philippine Islands
NationalityFilipino
Other names
  • Maria Oggay[1]
  • Apo Whang-Od[2]
  • Alternate name spellings:
    • Whang Od
    • Wang Od
    • Fang-od
    • Whang-ud
Known forLast and oldest practitioner of Kalinga tattooing[3][4]
Oldest person on the cover of Vogue
AwardsPresidential Medal of Merit (Philippines)

Whang-od Oggay (first name pronunciation: [ˈ(h)waŋˈ(ʔ)ɔd];[5][additional citation(s) needed] born c. February 17, 1917 or March 6, 1919),[6][7] also known as Maria Oggay,[8] is a tattoo artist from the village of Buscalan within Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines.[9][10] She is often described as the "last" and oldest mambabatok (traditional Kalinga tattooist)[3] and is part of the Butbut people of the larger Kalinga ethnic group.[11]

At the age of 14, 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.[12]

Unlike the majority of Filipinos, she does not speak Tagalog, Filipino, or English. She only communicates in Kalinga, her native language, and Ilocano, a lingua franca of Northern Luzon.[13]

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.[14][15][16]

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) conferred on Whang-od the prestigious Dangal ng Haraya Award at Tabuk, 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.[17][18][19][20]

  1. ^ Catalan, Maria Elena (October 5, 2016). "Chasing Whang–od, the oldest Kalinga Mangdadamo". Sun Star Baguio. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  2. ^ Ratcliffe, Rebecca (April 3, 2023). "Indigenous tattooist becomes Vogue's oldest ever cover star at 106". The Guardian.
  3. ^ a b Melanes, Maurice (September 10, 2013). "Skin as archive of history, culture, identity". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippines. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  4. ^ "Whang-Od". National Geographic. United States. 2014. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  5. ^ Biyahe ni Drew: Meet Apo Whang-Od, the oldest traditional tattoo artist in Kalinga. YouTube. GMA Public Affairs. October 13, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  6. ^ "Legendary tattoo artisan Whang-od celebrates 104th birthday".
  7. ^ "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: Munting Obra para kay Apo Whang-Od" [Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: Small Art for Apo Whang-Od]. Official YouTube channel of GMA Public Affairs (Video of the February 26, 2017, episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho where the host said that Whang-od turned 100 on February 17, 2017) (in Tagalog). GMA News. February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  8. ^ Catalan, Maria Elena (October 5, 2016). "Chasing Whang–od, the oldest Kalinga mambabatok". Sun Star Baguio. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  9. ^ "Whang-od, el mito de la última tatuadora de la tribu filipina Kalinga" [Whang-od, the Myth of the Last Tattoist from the Philippine Kalinga tribe]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Spain. August 12, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  10. ^ Ratcliffe, Rebecca (April 3, 2023). "Indigenous tattooist becomes Vogue's oldest ever cover star at 106". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  11. ^ Almendral, Aurora (May 15, 2017). "At 100 or So, She Keeps a Philippine Tattoo Tradition Alive". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  12. ^ Text by Kate Springer (August 6, 2017). "Meet Whang Od Oggay: 100 years of tattoo artistry". CNN Travel. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "Apo Whang-Od And The Indelible Marks Of Filipino Identity". vogue.ph. March 30, 2023. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Woodyatt, Amy (March 31, 2023). "A 106-year-old from the Philippines is Vogue's oldest ever cover model". CNN. CNN. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  15. ^ Sánchez, Emma (April 1, 2023). "106-year-old Indigenous Filipino tattoo artist becomes Vogue cover model". NBC News. NBC. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Mouriquand, David (April 10, 2023). "106-year-old Filipino tattoo artist becomes Vogue's oldest cover model". euronews. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  17. ^ "Apo Whang–Od commended for raising Kalinga culture". Manila Bulletin News. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  18. ^ Cimatu, Frank (June 12, 2018). "Whang-od to receive Dangal ng Haraya award". Rappler. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "Whang-od to receive award for contribution to PH culture, arts". ABS-CBN News.
  20. ^ "Whang-od to receive cultural heritage award from NCCA". cnn. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2020.