Batok tattooing has long been a formative ritual to the Kalinga region of the Philippines. Each individual Kalinga once had their own mambabatok, a master of batok tattooing. Tattoos were done as a rite of passage sometimes signifying a woman's eligibility for marriage, or as a protective talisman for a headhunter (Howard, 2022). 

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Apo Whang-Od has been tattooing since she was a teenager, learning under her father's mentorship. She was the first and only female mambabatok at the time, and she would travel with her father, tattooing in neighboring Kalinga villages. Each tattoo was chosen as a symbol, marking a person's connection to their ancestors, or their crossing a threshold into a new part of life (Carpio & Krutak, 2023). 

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Women were often tattooed for fertility and beautification. The tattoos were seen as permanent jewelry, something that would stay with them even into the afterlife. Men were tattooed as a symbol of becoming a headhunting warrior. They would receive a chest tattoo, usually one that stretched up their shoulders and down their arms. Often they were seen as talismans or protection.

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When headhunting was banned by Americans in the early 1900s, the tattooing of men nearly died out. Women were more likely to receive tattoos, and in precolonial Philippines they were still seen as beautiful. As American missionaries began their 'education' in the Kalinga area, however, the pride in tattoos diminished (Carpio & Krutak, 2023). Missionaries forced young girls to cover their tattoos with clothing and long sleeves. Kalinga women who left the villages to go to larger cities were shamed for the markings, as Western standards permeated the nation.

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Whang-Od continued to quietly tattoo in her village of Buscalan, despite changing cultural norms. In recent years, her art has become more popular and increasingly sought after, leading to a sudden resurrection of a fading art form. 

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