Whang-od

Whang-od, born on February 17, 1917, is a renowned tattoo artist and a cherished member of the Butbut people, part of the larger Kalinga ethnic group in the Philippines. At the tender age of eleven, she began her journey into the art of tattooing, marking the skin of Butbut headhunters and women. Traditionally, tattoos were earned by warriors as a testament to their bravery in combat, but with the decline of tribal warfare, Whang-od has adapted her craft to cater to tourists visiting her hometown of Buscalan.

Despite her fame, Whang-od remains deeply rooted in her cultural heritage. Unlike many Filipinos, she communicates primarily in Kalinga, her native language, and Ilocano, a lingua franca of Northern Luzon, showcasing her commitment to preserving her linguistic roots.

In April 2023, Whang-od made history by appearing on the cover of Vogue Philippines' Beauty Issue, becoming the oldest living person to grace the cover of Vogue at the remarkable age of one hundred six. Her contributions to the art of tattooing have not gone unnoticed; in 2018, she was honored with the prestigious Dangal ng Haraya Award by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in Tabuk, the capital of her ethnic province of Kalinga. Additionally, she was nominated for the National Living Treasures Award (Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan) in 2017, a nomination that is still under consideration by the NCCA.