Many travel from all over the world just to get inked by the legendary Apo Whang-Od, known as “The Last Mambabatok”. Batok is the traditional hand-tap way of tattooing which, in the old days, were earned by headhunters when they have successfully protected their village or have killed enemies. The females, on the other hand, get tattooed for beautification purposes.
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We’ve heard many stories of travelers who have done their own pilgrimage to Buscalan, this little village in the mountains. But one thing is sure—each story is unique.
Written and submitted to WhenInManila.com by Agnes Manguiat, read along as this traveler narrates the experience of getting her first tattoo from Whang Od herself.
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Through the Art of the Living Legend
You know that old world feel where the elements of rawness are everywhere to give you a chance to touch, see, hear, taste and experience them?
That is how the place of Buscalan and its enchanting culture has delighted us. From its food to the distinctive dialect of the Butbut tribe, the rhythmical sound of the tattoo tap, and the breathtaking view and atmosphere, the place and its whole community don’t need a sort of validation why it is visited even by people from oceans away.
And we couldn’t be grateful enough as it was a happenstance that a wedding ceremony was taking place when we got there. We got the chance to be immersed in one of their distinct customs. It’s like witnessing a quintessential past-tense perspective of ritual with the present-form people in it.
The journey alone to get to this place is something spiritual, almost a pilgrimage. That’s how I considered it. Yes, the trek was undeniably inhospitable for my vertigo and heat exhaustion conditions, but for all its worth, I knew I had to make it to that sanctuary.
Needless to say, the charm of the place is inseparable from its living legend, the great Apo Whang-Od. With her small frame and transfixing marks, the woman has the regal bearing of a queen and a warrior. I always wanted a tattoo, but I knew if I would be inked the first time, it must be from there, and by her, and for some higher reasons. For me, it’s not just having this art on my skin, it’s having the visible reminder of God’s grace to my life.
Though my tattoo is not a tribal symbol, I know it’s still blessed by everything there is. I wanted a tattoo that signifies the message God impressed on me nine years back, how my parents had begun their lives in His Kingdom two years ago, and what He gives me each day—beginnings. That word reminds me that no matter how I messed up, yesterday doesn’t count. Even my failings of coming times are covered by His blood. I will only depend on His new mercies each day.
With God’s creativity manifested in this place, I can say that there’s no lost or dying art here. Just a culture of pride preserved in its purest. And every tap of the thorn on your flesh is a profound sharing of that.
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Have you been to Buscalan and met Whang Od, too? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
