Mrs. Whang Od Oggay is a famous tattoo artist not only in the Philippines but also around the world gender. Every day, every hour, hundreds of tourists come from other places and have to drive another 15 hours north of Manila to the mountain village of Buscalan hidden behind forests and terraced fields to get a tattoo from a legend.
Previously no one paid attention to the traditional tattoo profession in the Philippines. Ms. Whang-od still struggles with life to preserve it. ancient cultural values.
After participating in a documentary series by American anthropologist Lars Krutak in 2009, Ms. Whang-od immediately became the center of attention. tourists everywhere.
Tattooers said: “Tattoo from Ms. Od is extremely different from modern tattoos, it looks like drawings created in ancient times.”
The concerns about preserving culture and the burdens that come from the tattoos on Ms. Whang-od’s body are now extremely relieved because the tattoo tradition has become more widely known and is also popular with young people. Kalinga paid attention and wanted to study more.
Talking about the history of tattooing in the Philippines, Ms. Whang-od said that a century ago, tattoos were for Kalinga women. tattooing drawings on their skin as a way of beautification and different types of drawings represent different statuses among women.
And Kalinga men can only draw tattoos when There are resounding victories in many festivals, especially headhunting rituals.
During the 1930s the national government began to suppress the tradition of tattooing and women began to wear clothing that covered their upper bodies. Headhunting from an act representing bravery became a crime.
Students were required to come to school in ao dai to cover their tattoos. Missionaries and teachers told Kalinga that tattoos were a mark of barbarism and would prevent people from finding jobs and assimilating.
Mrs. Whang-od always worries about preserving this cultural tradition, but the main obstacle is that this traditional tattoo technique is only can be passed on to blood relatives.
Ancient people believed that otherwise tattoos would become “polluted”. Although Whang Od had no children of her own, she taught her grandchildren ancient tattoo techniques to continue preserving this tradition.
Mrs. Whang-od said: “My friends who have tattoos like me have all passed away. I am the only one still alive. But I’m not afraid that the tradition will die out because I’m training the next tattoo masters.”
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