Whang-Od Oggay is based in Buscalan town in Kalinga. She makes a living by tattooing visitors from around the globe. She makes her tattoos with a mix of soot and water. The mixture is then applied to the individual's skin through a stencil and then be pierced to the skin using a stick with a pomelo thorn end and hammer.
She is 97 years old and is the oldest Kalinga tattoo artist or 'mambabatok'.
Now, a campaign has been started to make her a National Artist. The award is given to individuals in 'recognition of his or her significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and letters'.
An online campaign pushing Whang-Od Oggay to be declared as a National Artist has since gone viral.
The campaign #WangOdNationalArtist was started by Cebu City-based Biology instructor Edward Laurence Opena last September 17. Opena believes "that it is now time to recognize her world-class contribution to the art of tattoo-making that is genuinely Filipino. She deserves to be one of our National Artist'.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
