Whang-Od Gets Tattooed by Toni Tapete

@toni.tapete Meet Whang-Od. She’s an absolute legend and doesn’t need an introduction. But in case you haven’t heard of her I’ll put you in the picture: She’s a local tattoo artist, discovered only several years ago by @larskrutak (link to the article in bio) and since then has become this iconic persona, sporting the cover of Vogue magazine, invited by the president, and attracting thousands of international visitors. The setting is as exotic and as far off the beaten track as it comes: the Kalinga village of Buscalan sits high up in the Cordillera Mountains of northern Luzon, Philippines, a tiering 12 hours bus ride from Manila, you change to a jeepney on a tiny, landslide prone streets and the last bit on a motorcycle. And then you cross the valley by foot or use a questionable cable car, powered by an old truck. I chose the latter. And then you time travel into another century once you enter the little village. It blew my mind how different the people live here, seemingly cut off civilisation. And then there’s Whang-Od, probably the oldest tattooer alive. She’s 108 years old and has been tattooing all her life using a unique hand tapping technique she has passed on to her 2 grand nieces Grace and Elyang, her apprentices (the secret stays in the bloodline). And how the heck did I end up tattooing her you wonder? I ran into her in the village by accident and she saw a tattoo I did on a local girl and decided she wanted to get a tattoo by me! So we showed her some of my designs, she chose a butterfly for her food and that’s how I ended up tattooing the oldest and most famous person I ever met. Hey, @guinnessworldrecords, do you have a category for that kinda thing?? #whangod #buscalan #whangodsignaturetatts #whangodtattooartist #philippinestattooart @Whang-od @whangod7 @tattoohistory @TattooMagazineItalia ♬ The Whispering Wind - Moby

@toni.tapete Whang-Od certainly didn’t like that feeling too much…but she is so tough and made it! A new tattoo at the age of 108…This must be world record! . #whangod #buscalan #whangodtattooartist #worldrecords #tattoo ♬ Sympathy For The Devil - 50th Anniversary Edition - The Rolling Stones

@toni.tapete I’m honoured having met Whang-Od, the legendary, oldest traditional Kalinga tattoo artist (mambabatok) from Buscalan, Philippines, having received her 3 dots-signature tattoo and tattooed her as well. It was quite a ride to get there but so worth it. She’s renowned for keeping the ancient hand-tapped art alive, her kit is comprised of a coconut bowl to mix a pigment of pine wood soot and water, a pomelo thorn (siit) attached to the end of a small bamboo stick, and another short stick used to tap the thorn into the skin. Her fame exploded after being featured by anthropologists and media like Discovery Channel and Vogue, earning her the Presidential Medal of Merit and recognition as a living treasure of Philippine heritage. And she has the cutest smile! . #whangod #buscalan #whangodtattoo #tattoolegend #worldrecord ♬ wiskey dont talk back - Breaking Rust

Images and Videos courtesy of TikTok: toni.tapete