WHAT THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT

GETTING A TATTOO FROM

MAMBABATOK APO WHANG OD.
I have been tattooed twice, say, the usual-machine-way and I’m not sure
when I started the decision to have a traditional tattoo at least once. It
appealed to me so much because it was raw and real. Then some friends went
up the mountains to have their tattoos done manually, known
as pagbabatok, by famous Whang Od (if you don’t know yet, it’s pronounced
as Fang-Od). So I researched more about the traditional art, Whang-Od, and
how to get there, through blogs and friends. So if you’ve read the title, I’m
not really getting into those details. You can find tons of info in any search
engine so go ahead and do that.
I told my family and friends about my plans to go and they were all like, am I
sure, can I handle the pain, it’s too risky and dangerous, blah blah.

Days before our trip to Kalinga, we visited a friend who’s had

his “batok” last year and has visited Buscalan many times already. Aside
from the usual warnings of the dangerous road and rough trek, he mentioned,
“Pero eto ang pinakamadumi na tato ah. Hanggang ngayon pag pinipisil ko
yung tato ko, may lumalabas eh.” (“This is the dirtiest tattoo. Even now,
when I pinch it, something comes out.”) I asked him if he ever had it checked
by a doctor, he said no, simply because it will defeat the purpose of having it
done traditionally. Also he was a friend of the group Tado was with on the
way there, so he knew the people who died to take this journey, may they rest
in peace, that’s why he asked me if I still wanted to go. You can also discover
in blogs that though Whang Od changes the pine needle to use per person,
she does not change the cloth she uses to wipe over the skin of those getting
their tattoos. Even if you give her a new one to use, she won’t allow it. The
ink to be used is the soot from her cooking-ware mixed with water.
Honestly, knowing all these didn’t even shake my desire to go there. I have
decided before I knew.

I was ready to go alone, but my friend Keisha wanted to go too, so we went

together. We also happen to meet Kuya Paolo along the way who’s heading
to Buscalan. You can read about our trip here.
So, yes, you already (hopefully) know the process is cringe-worthy. They
don’t give you anesthesia. For me, it was 20 times more painful than machine
tattoos, and I’d like to believe I have a strong pain tolerance. I managed not
to cry or scream though, concentrating on the plants around and savoring the
feeling of what the elders in the tribes have felt. Kuya Francis Pa-in, our
guide, also told us stories. The pain was too much to bear for some that there
were cases when the person peed, fainted, and yes, even pooped. In these
instances, Whang Od won’t continue with the tattoo even if you insist, she
can always tell if the person can or can’t bear it. Also for women on their
dreaded time of the month, it is not advisable since it can be more painful or
for whatever reason I don’t know. Ask your doctor. Don’t worry too much
though, Keisha was on hers when she got tattooed and she’s fine. Her tattoo
just bled profusely more than mine though I’m not sure if it’s the position or
her condition that time. I earnestly hope what I’m saying doesn’t discourage
you if you happen to plan to go.

After we’ve been permanently branded a traditional Buscalan art, I was more
than overwhelmed. I was exhilarated. I have never felt more alive and proud.
The throbbing wasn’t so unbearable after. They just put coconut oil on it and
said we didn’t have to put anything after. It looked like pointillism and it was
swelling more than my previous tattoos after an hour. We were allowed to
take a bath that afternoon, but getting it wet a day after wasn’t advisable since
it might affect the natural scattering of the ink. The following day, about four
inches of my arm was swelling in length, and an inch more in terms of width.
I could not lower my hand because the blood flows down and it throbs like
hell so I held it up all the time. This wasn’t the case for Keisha though, again,
it might vary by the tattoo’s position. That’s when I understood what Kuya
Francis said about tattoos on the legs and feet are so painful after because the
blood flows down and you can’t really put them up unless you’re lying down.
My wrist kept throbbing when my hand was down for at least a week.

The soot ink started to form solid lines. I also observed that it looked and
peeled like a normal wound, except the dried skin was black. Well, it’s really
a wound after all. It was my personal choice not to put antibiotic or anything
on it because I wanted it to be as genuine as the tradition.

When my tattoo started to look out of hand though, I was slightly worried
since nobody said that it would look so scathed after a week. People would
stare at it with judging looks, like they were telling me I made a very unwise
decision getting it. I didn’t really care. And those who inquired were taken
aback upon hearing the story behind it. Although I admit, it gets pretty tiring
to explain yourself to everyone.

Thankfully, Keisha’s tattoo looked the same. So we tried to find out more
about the healing process of this kind of tattoo and nothing in the internet
mentioned it. So we just resorted to letting it heal naturally.

On the third week I decided it was safe to put moisturizer on it since the
wound was closed and was just repairing the skin, which was really, really
itchy by the way. I applied RestoraDerm, since I use it when my skin gets too
dry. It works wonders and it did work its wonder on my healing tattoo.

The skin didn’t look too dry and it peeled faster, leaving a grey tint, like ash.
It was still embossed though. I thought this was finally how the color was
going to look like since the ink used was really soot. I consistently put the
lotion every morning after bathing and before I go to sleep at night. Keisha
told me she put on a regular lotion so I made her try RestoraDerm as well.
She said it works better and the itching lessened, but a normal lotion will do.

My tattoo still peeled and it looked like it had blackheads on the fourth week.
I admit I always picked on it. I completely don’t recommend doing this
though. When the excess skin came off, there were visible holes on my arm
where the needle went through. It started to flatten as well but the skin was
still unsmooth because of the irregularity the holes bring. Still, it looks healed
now. My own eyes tell me that it’s infection free.

Now the lines are obviously not perfectly straight, but that’s the beauty of it.
It wasn’t made by a machine. It is purely done by the hands of a 95-year old
Kalinga tattoo artist, with pine needle and soot as her tools, and almost a
century’s worth of experience. I carry this art, traditionally only for the most
brave and beautiful.

All details mentioned were my own experiences and choices. I decided to

share them since I found no other blog saying what happens AFTER you get
your batok.
So for those of you who are attempting to get your tattoos from Whang Od
and are wondering about the risks and joys, you’re welcome. Though I
earnestly discourage you to go there if you just want to look cool. Revere the
art, the artist and the culture.

https://theboringliar.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/what-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-a-tattoo-from-
mambabatok-apo-whang-od/
Getting Inked by Whang Od

My husband and I wake up at six in the morning, still a little groggy from last night’s wedding
eve party. We are up in the small village of Buscalan in the Cordillera mountains.

Weddings here are celebrated for two consecutive days and last night, it seemed that the
whole village joined the revelry at the village ‘plaza’ which was, as luck would have it, only
two steps away from Whang Od’s house. Hubby and I were so exhausted from the day’s 16-
hour journey. But much as we wanted to sleep, Psy’s Gangnam Style blaring from the sound
system every 30 minutes had us tossing and turning up until the wee hours of the morning.

Despite our lack of sleep, we force ourselves to get up. It is going to be a long and painful
day and we want to make sure we are Whang Od’s first skins of the day. As we make our
way downstairs, we see the petite 93-year-old mambabatok (tattoo artist) already up and
about, feeding her chickens while drinking her morning brew.
In her very limited Tagalog, she asks us if we were able to sleep at all. We assure her that
we’re okay and that she need not worry about us.

After coffee, Whang Od tells us to go with her to the upper side of the village. It’s much
quieter there and the seeming isolation is perfect for our tattooing session.

Choosing the Design

As Whang Od prepares her tools, Hubby and I go over our design one last time. Before
coming here, we talked about having a symbol to mark our 9th wedding anniversary. We
also wanted something traditional in honor of Whang Od. Problem was, we had no idea how
to go about looking for a traditional Kalinga design. Most of what we’ve seen were animal
motifs, particularly centipedes and snakes. Both are beautiful but do not speak of us as a
couple. Fortunately, we found a book lying around Whang Od’s house yesterday. “Filipino
Tattoos Ancient to Modern” the title said. It was written by Lane Wilcken, a Filipino-
American author and tattoo artist. It turns out that Whang Od and Kalinga tattooing have
figured prominently in Lane’s book. As we turned the pages, we saw exactly what we were
looking for.

The Kinilat or lightning is one of the traditional batek (tatoo) motifs in Kalinga.

“…men and women are two parts of one person. The two lines in
the kinilattattoo represent this union…The plain zigzag line
represents water flowing along a riverbank and is the male aspect.
The other line, with the three extensions on each of the outside
corners, is the bank of the river and the female aspect.”
Perfect!

Hubby shows the book to Whang Od and points at the illustration. She smiles and nods her
approval. Hubby had previously requested that both Whang Od and her niece, Grace, give
him his batek so that he can have one unified piece that would represent both the old and the
new generation of Kalinga tattoo artists.

Whang Od has taught Grace the art of tattooing a few years ago but is unsure of whether
Grace will continue the tradition. Grace is now in college, studying to become a teacher.
From our encounters with her, we felt Grace’s heart is not really into tattooing. At least not
yet. I hope she proves us wrong.

UPDATE: The hubby just chatted with Grace and found out that Grace is still pretty much
into tattooing. This is the best news we’ve heard in a long time! I’m glad she has proven us
wrong. We hope that she continues this beautiful tradition and that in time, others will follow
in her footsteps.

Getting inked, finally.

The process of traditional tattooing is quite simple. First, Whang Od gathers soot from her
cooking pans and mixes it with water to create the pasty ink.

She then gets a blade of grass, dips it in the ink and uses it to create the pattern on the skin.
 Once the pattern is laid out, hand-tapping
begins.

Once the pattern is laid out, hand-tapping begins.For needle, Whang Od uses a pomelo thorn
that she attaches to the end of a piece of bamboo. She smears the thorn with ink, then, using
another piece of wood, taps it repeatedly into the skin until the skin absorbs the ink.

Whang Od taps over the pattern two or three times to make sure the ink is absorbed
completely. So basically, you get wounded two or three times on the same area until she is
satisfied with the result and decides to move on. And because the thorn is not as smooth as a
needle, the process becomes extra painful when the skin gets snagged on the thorn. Ouch!
And because the thorn is not as smooth as a
needle, the process becomes extra painful
when the skin gets snagged on the thorn.
I love the contrast between Apo Whang Od’s traditional sleeve and my husband’s Leo
Zulueta-inspired neo-tribal one.

Whang Od and Grace take turns working on Hubby’s batek.

Before long, Hubby’s arm begins to swell. I can also see that he’s in extreme pain. In the
olden days, tattooing sessions can last up to several months, depending on the size of
the batek. The tattooed area can also stay swollen for several weeks.
 In the olden days, tattooing sessions can last
up to several months, depending on the size of
the batek. The tattooed area can also stay
swollen for several weeks.

Finally, after three and a half hours of tortuous tapping, Whang Od is satisfied with my
husband’s batek.

Then it’s my turn.

The thing about traditional tattooing is that nothing will (ever) prepare you for the pain. With
machine-operated tattooing, the light buzz coming from the equipment is almost like a subtle
signal for you to brace yourself. With traditional tattoo, silence is literally the calm before
the storm. You will never be prepared for the assault on your skin, nor the pain that follows.

It’s very tempting to block out the pain. But in essence, getting a batek is a spiritual
experience. Thus, you have to savor the moment, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it
is. In ancient times, tattooing used to be a sacred rite and tattoos were given only to the
bravest men of the tribe. Women also received their tattoos as a rite of passage. My kinilat,
as small as it is, is no less important, nor painful! At some point during the session, I start
questioning my sanity. Why am I doing this again?

The Aftermath

Hubby will run a very high fever tonight. I know it in my bones. I can see that his body is
already trying to reject the ink embedded in his skin. He disagrees, of course, but his
swollen batek betrays him.
As for me, I am a little guilty that my batek is way smaller than his. Still, I feel a sense of
accomplishment. We have been marked by Whang Od, the last tattoo artist of Kalinga, a
fitting way to celebrate nine happy years together.
From afar I can see the mist creeping over the mountaintops. Rain is coming. But the
villagers seem oblivious. There’s still that wedding celebration to think about. Already, the
sound system is blaring music again. Thankfully, it’s not Gang Nam Style. At least not yet.
Rain or shine, the Botbot Tribe will celebrate again tonight. And having been marked by
Whang Od, we were invited to be part of the tribe, if only for one night.

http://pinaytraveller.com/archives/8085