indigenouswisdom:Whang Od Oggay is perhaps the Philippines last traditional “batok” or hand-tapping

indigenouswisdom:Whang Od Oggay is perhaps the Philippines last traditional “batok” or hand-tapping tattoo artist. 101 years old, she has been tattooing since 15, and uses just three materials; a thorn from the pomelo tree, coal scraped off pots to be used for ink, and water. She is a Butbut woman who is part of a larger Kalinga ethnic group in Tinglayan, northern Philippines. Batok was traditionally reserved for male Butbut headhunters who had successfully protected the village or killed an enemy. The tattoos were also an aesthetic necessity for the women. Traditionally, when a Butbut woman was tattooed, the family of the woman is obliged to pay the tattoo artist a piglet or bundle of harvested rice, demonstrating the high value of the art. A traditional Kalinga tattooist or mambabatok would tell peoples fortunes and chant when creating a tattoo. She says she will continue to tattoo for as long as she can see. -- source link

More pics about