Legendary tattoo artist Apo Whang-od is recipient of the 1ST HIYAS AWARD for Indigenous Art

Photo Courtesy || Kalinga Tourism, Philippines

Cordillera - Philippines's oldest surviving traditional tattoo artist, Apo Whang-od from the Butbut tribe in Kalinga is one of the recipients of the 1st HIyas Award for Indigenous Art to be conferred by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) this September.

The Hiyas Award gives recognition to deserving individuals and/or organizations in Luzon who have exemplified commendable work and services in cultural and artistic endeavors, and have been in the forefront of the research, development, preservation, education and promotion of arts and culture in Luzon for at least fifteen (15) years or more. 

The general criteria indicate that an awardee must have made exceptional accomplishments in creative work, leadership, resource management, education, artist support, audience development, community service, solidarity and partnership.

Apo Whang-od, in a confirmation of acceptance letter extends her gratitude in behalf of the Kalinga people for being selected as one of the awardees.

The 101 year-old Apo Whang-od has been practicing the traditional tattooing method since she was 15. She was declared as a national artist in the Philippines.

In 2017, she was nominated for the National Living Treasures Award (Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan) and conferred the Bantayog Award.

source || Kalinga Tourism, Philippines