Steven Raga, Whang-Od and their body art connection

By Cristina DC Pastor

It was the week of the Thanksgiving break and Assemblymember Steven Raga took the time to go home to Manila to visit family.

A cousin suggested a trip to the Cordilleras while he was in town, and possibly a tattoo session with Whang-Od.

“Luckily, the schedule worked out!” said Steve as he shared his endearing story with The FilAm.  

Whang-Od Oggay is a 107-year-old tattoo artist from the village of Buscalan in Kalinga Province in Luzon. A world-famous “mambabatok” (Kalinga tattoo artist), she graced the April 2023 cover of Vogue Philippines at age 106. The glossy cover showed her wrinkled limbs and clavicle inked in tribal designs in the magazine’s “The Beauty Issue,” her lips painted in a shade of crimson.

The van carrying Steve,  his cousin and others, arrived at the edge of the Buscalan 10 hours after leaving Manila at around 2 a.m.

On arrival, they trekked 45 more minutes, hiking  up and down valleys, rivers and mountains until they reached the stone steps leading to the center of the village.

They were led  to a residence where Steve came face to face with the woman revered throughout her village surrounded by the cool Cordillera mountains and rice terraces. They joined  mostly tourists in a living room awaiting their turn to get inked.

Steve remembered being taken  to three different locations — Whang Od’s living room, behind Whang Od’s house, and another residence next door — and being asked to choose a design.

Conscious they may be running out of time, Steve opted for something simple, like Whang-Od’s signature three-dot tattoo. But she had another design in mind.

“Scorpion,” she declared.

Steve agreed. He wanted the tattoo on his left calf but Whang-Od  shook her head and pointed on his right forearm.

Once decided, the  entire room erupted in cheers.

“It confirmed they were about to witness something incredibly rare these days: Whang-Od tattooing a full intricate design, not just the 3-dot signature,” he explained.

According to Kalinga legend, the Scorpion symbolized Strength and Protection. It is engraved only on the bodies of brave Ifugao warriors of ancient times.

Whang-Od’s process

She began by taking a dried piece of grass/plant. She then mixed soot and water, the main ingredients of her tattoo ink.

She dipped the dried plant into her ink bowl, and began to outline the tattoo design on the skin, giving her guidance to trace.

Finally, she took a pine needle (‘tinik’)   and began to painfully “hammer” the outline of the soot on the skin. She tattooed the design three times to ensure the quality and color.

It was an elaborate illustration showing the Buscalan Sun,  Day and Night Hourglass, Snake Tongues and Ferns symbolizing good health and safe passage into the Land of the Dead. She was assisted by two apprentices. 

Was it painful?

Replied Steve: “The left forearm and outside part of my right arm, it was fine and felt like intense sharp pinches. 

“The back part of my right arm was another story. It was an extreme fiery pain throughout the entire tattooing process, which continued hours after the tattoo was already completed.”

It was over in 13 hours. Steve was grateful to be offered a room to rest overnight.

“I had the blessing to stay at her residence,” he said. “At night, when her tattooing behind her house had ended, her family and close friends gathered in her living room to eat, tell jokes, and watch traditional Kalinga dances on the television.”

Whang-Od beamed with positive energy, he said, “always joking around and smiling, even with the non-stop tourists waiting patiently to see her.”

“She asked many questions on why I trekked all the way from New York, asked about my work, and how Filipino Americans in NYC are doing. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.”

Before leaving, he gave the artist some chocolates from New York, and she began reminiscing and describing her favorites. The lady loves chocolates.

This article is also published in https://www.gmanetwork.com

(C) The FilAm 2024