Indigenous tattooist becomes Vogue's oldest ever cover star at 106 (2024)

An Indigenous tattooist in the Philippines credited with helping to keep alive a form of the art known as batok has become the oldest Vogue cover star after appearing in the Philippine edition of the magazine at the age of 106.

Apo Whang-Od, who is from Buscalan, a remote, mountainous village in the Kalinga province of the northern Philippines, began tattooing at 16. Once described as the last remaining mambabatok, or traditional Kalinga tattooist, she has since inspired a new generation to learn batok, said Vogue. Batok involves tapping the tattoo into the skin by hand, using a thorn, which is dipped in soot and natural dye, and is attached to a bamboo stick.

“Heralded as the last mambabatok of her generation, she has imprinted the symbols of the Kalinga tribe – signifying strength, bravery and beauty – on the skin of thousands of people who have made the pilgrimage to Buscalan,” Vogue Philippines wrote on Instagram.

Traditionally, the tattoos represent bravery for male warriors, or beauty for women. However, over the past 15 years, as Whang-Od has been celebrated for her art, tourists have increasingly flocked to her village to have tattoos done. More young people have also begun to train in the practice, according to Vogue Philippines.

The magazine’s editor in chief, Bea Valdes, told CNN that staff at the publication were unanimous in their decision to put Whang-Od on the cover.

“We felt she represented our ideals of what is beautiful about our Filipino culture,” said Valdes. “We believe that the concept of beauty needs to evolve, and include diverse and inclusive faces and forms. What we hope to speak about is the beauty of humanity.”

Whang-Od, who is also known as Maria Oggay, is one of the few Vogue cover stars to come from an Indigenous community, and is also thought to be the oldest person to feature on the front page of the magazine. In 2020, Judi Dench became British Vogue’s oldest cover star at 85.

Whang-Od does not have a birth certificate, however, she was issued a postal ID in 2017, which allowed her to access benefits available to centenarians in the Philippines.

A mambabatok can only pass their skill down through their bloodline, and so Whang-Od has trained her grand-nieces to keep the practice alive. However, she plans to continue tattooing for as long as her sight allows, she said.

“Why not keep tattooing while I can see?” she told Vogue Philippines. “I’ll only stop when I can no longer see, so I can continue to give people the mark of Buscalan, the mark of Kalinga.”