An ash-covered thorn taps into my arm, threatening to leave a permanent mark. We’re sitting in the bamboo home of Whang-Od, a 95-year old woman and the last Kalinga tattoo artist keeping this 1000-year-old art alive. She pauses from her playful tattoo demo, cocks her head and smiles as if to say, “You want one?” I’m thinking about it…but first how we got to the ancient rice terraces of Banaue, the deep caves of Sagada, and to the head-hunting territory of Buscalan.
Deep into the Cordillera Mountains
An ash-covered thorn taps into my arm, threatening to leave a permanent mark. We’re sitting in the bamboo home of Whang-Od, a 95-year old woman and the last Kalinga tattoo artist keeping this 1000-year-old art alive. She pauses from her playful tattoo demo, cocks her head and smiles as if to say, “You want one?” … Continue reading “Deep into the Cordillera Mountains”
