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“The tradition will continue as long as people keep coming here to get tattoos. As long as I feel I’m doing a good job, I’ll continue this work. I’ll only stop when my eyesight fails,” Whang Od shared.
Traditionally, arm tattoos were a mark of the indigenous Butbut warriors. They qualified for a tattoo when they killed an enemy. For women, tattoos were considered an aesthetic accessory. Whang Od recalls her teenage years, when her friends covered their arms and legs with tattoos.
With the era of warriors over, tattoos are for everyone. Nowadays, Whang Od receives a steady stream of international clients, and she creates around eight tattoos a day. Each symbol, from lines to circles, animal images, or tribal motifs, carries profound meaning. Many tattoos depict natural elements like mountains and the sun, while others relate to fertility and strength.
Whang Od follows a thousand-year-old technique, using only a few tools: grapefruit thorns, a long bamboo stick, a jar of crushed charcoal, and water.
With absolute concentration, she meticulously draws lines onto the skin using homemade charcoal-water ink. Using gentle taps, she employs grapefruit thorns and bamboo sticks to push the ink deep into the skin. With this simple technique, Whang Od creates meaningful geometric patterns. And this tattooing method is just as painful as modern tattooing.
Preserving the art of tattooing is more complex than it appears; it is passed down only through blood relations. Having no children, Whang Od has trained his two nieces, Elyang Wigan and Grace Palicas, for many years. “My fellow tattoo artists have all passed away. Now I’m the only one doing this, but I’m not afraid of the tradition disappearing because I still have successors,” Whang Od said.
Mr. Whang Od also shared his secret to living to 100 years old: he avoids canned food, greasy food, and salty food, and only eats vegetables and beans.
Ngoc Anh (According to CNN Travel)
