【Complete Series Archives】
The Complete Series ArchivesLast Tattooed Women of Kalinga
Look
Jake Verzosa,Abo Nao Sicdawag, b. 1924, Lubo, Tanudan, 2011.
When Whang-Od was twenty-five, the man she loved was killed in a logging accident. She had never married, nor did she have children. After the death of her boyfriend, she dedicated herself to her role as mamababatok, or tattoo artist. Whang-Od is now 101, and in the Cordillera mountains of the northern Philippines, where she lives among the Kalinga people, she is a legend.
Between 2009 and 2013, the Manila-based photographer Jake Verzosa traveled to the Cordillera mountains and photographed Kalinga women whose bodies bear these tattoos, known as batok. Whang-Od is the last mamabatok, and The Last Tattooed Women of Kalinga, a collection of Verzosa’s photographs, documents her work. Alternately described as “dead,” “dying,” “extinct,” or “endangered,” batokis a practice that lives on in Versoza’s images, and also in the Kalinga, who are, Verzosa emphasizes, still here. “When I pass on,” says Whang-Od, “I will bring my tattoos with me in the afterlife. Everything else is left behind.”
Sin-ao Gammod, b. 1933, Lubo, Tanudan, 2011.
Fang-od Oggay, b. 1920, Buscalan, Tinglayan, 2011.
Kannao La-ib, b. 1939, Buscalan, Tinglayan, 2011.
Bayada Gumaad, b. 1933, Lubo, Tanudan, 2013.
Catalina Dangpason, b. 1948, Dacalan, Tanudan, 2011.
Search
Categories
Latest Posts
Amazon Prime Grubhub deal: Save $10 off orders of $20 or more
2025-06-26 11:38Asus TUF A16 Gaming Laptop deal: Save $400 at Best Buy
2025-06-26 11:17HP AMD 8GB 512GB Storage Laptop deal: Save $250 at Best Buy
2025-06-26 10:31Is it 'Thunderbolts*' or *The New Avengers'?
2025-06-26 10:07Popular Posts
Best speaker deal: Save $30 on the JBL Clip 5
2025-06-26 12:27Has the Trump administration used AI to calculate tariffs?
2025-06-26 10:44Best smartwatch deal: Save 44% on CMF Watch Pro for $38.90 at Amazon
2025-06-26 10:22The Amazon Book Sale is coming April 23 through 28
2025-06-26 10:13Featured Posts
Skype is finally shutting down
2025-06-26 12:1725 best movies on Netflix to stream now
2025-06-26 12:14NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4
2025-06-26 11:09How to watch MLB: See every game your team plays
2025-06-26 09:57The Made in America iPhone: How much would it cost?
2025-06-26 09:53Popular Articles
'Mario Kart World' Nintendo Direct: 3 takeaways
2025-06-26 12:13Why are read receipts so triggering?
2025-06-26 12:12Best Kindle deal: Save $15 on the Kindle Essentials Bundle at Amazon
2025-06-26 12:11Amazon Book Sale: Shop early deals now
2025-06-26 11:03Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.
Comments (132)
Prosperous Times Information Network
U.N. aims to make carbon emissions cost money at COP 25 climate talks
2025-06-26 11:59Habit Information Network
TikTok ban looms in U.S. Here's the latest.
2025-06-26 11:29Prosperous Times Information Network
25 best movies on Netflix to stream now
2025-06-26 11:01Prosperous Times Information Network
People are panic buying iPhones ahead of possible price hikes, report claims
2025-06-26 10:40Style Information Network
FreeSync 2 Explained
2025-06-26 10:22