Apo Whang-Od has been perfecting the technique of traditional Kalinga tattooing since he was a teenager. Taught by her father, the century-old tattoo artist now teaches her great-nieces the art of Kalinga.
The April cover of Vogue Philippines issue goes down in publishing history. The model is Apo Whang-Od, a 106-year-old Filipino tattoo artist who thus becomes the oldest person to appear on the cover of the magazine.
The April issue model has perfected the traditional tattoo technique calinga –Whoever makes these tattoos is designated mamabatok — since he was a teenager, explains CNN. The centenarian lives in the town of Buscalan, about 15 hours from Manila, and is considered the oldest tattoo artist of this style in the country.
Touted as the oldest mambabatok of her generation, Apo Whang-Od has been making the symbols of the Kalinga tribe, which signify strength, bravery and beauty, on hundreds of people who have traveled to Buscalan,” Vogue Philippines said in a statement about the social network instagram. .
This way of tattooing can only be passed between family membersand, having learned from his father, Apo Whang-Od has been teaching the great-nieces Elyang Wigan and Grace Palicas in recent years.
I’m the only one still alive and still getting tattoos,” the centenarian told CNN in 2017. “The tradition will continue as long as people come to get tattoos.”
The choice of the 106-year-old woman, according to the executive editor of Vogue Philippines, was aimed at represent the ideals and beauty of Filipino culture. Before Apo Whang-Od, the oldest person to grace the cover of Vogue was Judi Dench. The actress appeared on the cover of British Vogue in 2020, when she was 85 years old.
Source: Observadora
