At 107 years old, Whang-Od is the oldest tattoo artist in the world. Whang-Od has been practicing batok, an indigenous form of tattooing in the Philippines, for over nine decades. The hand-tapped tattoos are inspired by the wildlife found in the mountains of the Kalinga province where she resides. To reach Whang-Od, visitors must drive hours from the nearest town and climb up a steep road to her studio shed. People travel from all over the world to be tattooed by the legendary artist, and she sees around 100 people per day. During the appointment, visitors choose where they want the tattoo placed and Whang-Od gets to work tapping tribal patterns, lines, circles, animals, celestial symbols, and nature depictions. Her signature design is three simple dots, which represent herself and her two grandnieces. Whang-Od has reinvigorated tourism in the remote area of the Philippines and has helped change the narrative around tribal art and tattoos, which she says are the only things people can take to the afterlife.
Image via CNN
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