
The adventure of getting to Apo Whang-od
THE jeepney ride.
Half of my body was more bent than the other. But, I was lucky that I had the railings of the jeepney to hold on. On the other hand, my friend only had the crate she sat on as her anchor. So, if we had met an accident, Tara would be bringing her seat along with her!
THE hike.
But, as life would teach us, we sometimes need to get out of our comfort zones. Allow ourselves to be vulnerable and brave at the same time – to see what’s beyond what we believe to be the only truth; to give ourselves the chance to experience new things; to embrace the opportunity to live, breathe, and break free.
THE struggle.

Yes, I was scared of falling off a cliff.
At one point, yes, I didn’t think that I was going to make it. Yes, I was certain that this kind of adventure was not for me. And, yes, I was so sure I would fail.
But, I took my time and they let me do it. Several times, a local would walk past us and a few minutes after, we’d see them on the other side of the mountain (GOALS!)
Meeting Apo Whang-od

Apo Whang-od: The living legend
She prepared breakfast and coffee for us. We sat on her kitchen floor. And as we enjoyed our meal, we also asked her questions after questions. We wanted to know her deeper, more than the stories published about her. So, we asked about her childhood, how she got into traditional tattooing, her sense of community and family. We learned how much of an empowered woman she is and had a glimpse of the depth of her love for her tribe.
She was so generous of herself and she answered all of our questions in her native tongue, which we didn’t speak. Thank God for our translator.

But, what amazed me more was that Apo Whang-od would, from time to time, look and speak directly to me, as if we spoke the same language. And, for some reason, even without understanding her words, I felt like I got what she wanted to communicate with me.
What's Apo Whang-od's story?

The "only" boy in Apo Whang-od's life
The (unfortunate) stigma
Back in 2012, Apo Whang-od shared that she taught her niece, Grace, the art of Traditional Kalinga Tattooing. But, Grace’s heart was not on it. This came as a surprise to me. I had thought that anyone from their tribe would consider it a privilege to be chosen by, trained by, and learn from Apo Whang-od and become her successor. But, I later on found out that the younger generation of Kalinga women did not want to keep the tradition because of the stigma attached to tattooed Kalinga women. Remember, this was in 2012.

But, times have changed. Apo Whang-od is training her successors. I do hope that her apprentices acquire the knowledge and wisdom of Apo Whang-od and, like their ancestors, may they eventually be pillars for the preservation of their culture and traditions.
Getting inked by the oldest Kalinga tattoo artist
Whang-od, herself, prepared what she used for the tattooing session: a small piece of metal for drawing, charcoal, a thorn, a stick for the thorn to attach, another stick to support embedding the tattoo on the skin, and two stools where she and Tara would be sitting on.
Whang-od, herself, prepared what she used for the tattooing session: a small piece of metal for drawing, charcoal, a thorn, a stick for the thorn to attach, another stick to support embedding the tattoo on the skin, and two stools where she and Tara would be sitting on.

For a moment, I considered getting a tattoo myself, because of how difficult the hike to get to Buscalan was for me. But, I didn’t want it to be a reaction to the circumstance I was in. So, I chose to pass. I resolved that I would think about it some more, when my mind’s clear. And, when I do choose to get a tattoo, I’ll just do the hike once more.

I imagined, though, that it must be weird for Tara having a thorn poking at her skin in the rhythm of two sticks beating against each other. I asked her, “How are you?” She replied, “I’m good!” “It’s not painful?” I asked. “Nope. Not at all.” Wow.

Sending you love and good vibes,
Monica
P.S. Thank YOU! And, in whatever space you are in now, I hope that you got something from reading this post. Talk to you soon!
Updated on March 1, 2021. Originally published on December 27, 2012.