Kalinga - Part VI - Portrait of a Proud People

I'm not yet done with telling visual stories of our amazing visit to Barangay Buscalan, high up among the rice terraced mountains of Kalinga province.

The people of Buscalan may be materially dirt poor, but that they are a proud people with a rich culture is equally apparent. 

And, I must add here, their sincerely warm hospitality belies their history as ferocious head hunters.

Let my portraits do the talking.

Virgie was our able translator

Ti-A and her husband Charlie, barangay leader, were our generous hosts

Ti-A's mother kindly shared her home with us for the night

 Buscalan, Kalinga, 2012

These portraits of a proud people are my contribution to ABC Wednesday where the letter of the week is P.

I am also pleased to share with you (with his permission) this superb video put together by travel mate Jeremiah (shown in Part II with Whang Od). Jeremiah and his three friends hailed from Cebu, and all of us met in Tuguegarao for the start of our journey together. See Part I.

Whang Od from djsparechange on Vimeo.

Part VII still to follow.

Kalinga - Part IV - Old Tattooed Women

From the mountains we derive our strength,

the rivers our peace, the valleys our hopes,

and from the skies, the wisdom of our ancestors.

~ Kalinga proverb

The last traces of a centuries-old tradition are soon to be lost to humanity.

The Butbut, when still a fierce warring tribe, celebrated the victories of its headhunting warriors with intricate and meaningful body tattoos. Since the heads of enemies are no longer hunted and it is considered an affront to the elder warriors to get tattooed without the bravery proven in tribal wars, very few men get the traditional tribal tattoos in modern times. The fully tattooed men of Buscalan have all died; and I've heard a handful of old men still survive in the province, but we did not meet them.

Besides the national treasure Whang Od (Part II), we did, however, meet the last old tattooed women of Buscalan, high up in the rugged rice terraces of Kalinga (Part I). The batok (tattoos) of these women were not only designed to enhance their beauty and confer status, they also symbolize their female strength and stamina.

These are my some of my favorite portraits. 

This first woman was the oldest of the tribe, a young 103! All the rest were in their 80s and 90s. Several of them were blind or near-blind.

Kalinga, 2012

These old women readily removed their tops to show us their intricate tattoos. Sadly aware that they were the end of a tradition, they patiently posed for us to chronicle their beauty and grace with our cameras. 

Today's younger Kalinga women have a different sense of aesthetic and few are willing to undergo the pain of the process of tattooing.

I end this post with another quote from Lars Krutak: 

For the Kalinga, nature has always provided a kind of talisman against unbridled change and a link to ancient traditions because it is constant, perpetual, and eternal. Nature was the basis from which many Kalinga cultural traditions sprang and none more so than the ancient art of tattoo. Tattooing was a natural language of the skin that gave voice to the ancestors and their descendants who attempted to emulate them by sacrificing their own bodies to make them more lasting and sacred.

Sadly however, Whang Od’s generation may be the last to wear these indelible symbols so closely tied to nature, Kalinga identity, and the ancestral past. And like the marauding headhunters who once roamed the mountains and forests of Kalinga only a century ago, these elders are the last vestiges of an era that will soon fade away into memory; but one that will always remain in story, song, and above all spirit.

___

It's been too long since I joined the fun crowd over at ABC Wednesday! The letter of this week is O - and from me that's O for old.

Oh, and I'm still planning a Part V... stay tuned...

Kalinga - Part II - Last Tattoo Artist

The mountain village of Buscalan in the province of Kalinga held moving and meaningful surprises for my honey and me. 

A good friend had invited us to join a group of photographers on their trip and we had enthusiastically agreed without really knowing much about their mission. So it was to be an adventure without expectations; the best kind, in my book. And we were not disappointed.

Yesterday, in Part I of this series, I showed the majestic rice terraces we passed on our journey through the mountains.

Only when we reached Buscalan, historically a headhunters' village, did we learn we were to meet the last Kalinga mambabatok or tribal tattoo artist.

Let me introduce you to the poised and talented Whang Od (pronounced Fang-ud). She is in her 90s, was never married (lost the love of her life in a fatal accident when still in her 20s), and still works daily both in the rice fields and at her special art of hand-tap tattooing.

Whang Od herself is adorned with traditional tribal tattoo designs, as well as beautiful heirloom beads. (You can read more about Kalinga beads here.) I suspect some of these beads she would have received in barter for her craft.

Lars Krutak, the tattoo anthropologist of Discovery Channel's Tattoo Hunter series fame, describes her craft thus:

Whang Od keeps her tattooing tools under the floor boards of her stilted hut. Her hand-tapping kit is comprised of a coconut bowl to mix a pigment of soot and water, an orange thorn needle (siit) attached to the end of a small bamboo stick, and another short stick used to tap the thorn into the skin. 

I've read that for many, once they get one tattoo, they can't stop themselves getting more. Vixienne came back to Buscalan for her second tattoo. She is grimacing from the pain here, but not long after she was all smiles.

 

Jeremiah is the proud new owner of a traditional centipede tattoo by the national artist with a steady hand. (See Part VI so see his video of this.)

 

 Buscalan, Kalinga, 2012

In this last photo you see Whang Od standing in front of her humble home and also the tomb she has built for herself - the entrance is behind her legs. 

Many are concerned that when she dies, her art form will die with her. We were told - and I later read - that she has been training her young yet enthusiastic grand-niece, but we did not see her.

This is a short - less than two minute - video of the perilous road to Buscalan and Whang Od at her tap-tap-tap work. It was not made by anyone in our group.



My post today is linked to the blogging communities at Mosaic Monday and Macro Monday.

Drop in for Part III of this Kalinga series. Maybe I can surprise you, too!

Portrait of a Tricycle Driver

"God Bless Our Trip" are the words knitted into the interior window decor.

For some context, this is his tricycle that four of us climbed into.

Dumaguete, 2011

Linking with Weekend Reflections.

Aging without Dignity

 Bucharest, 2011

This man seeking charity amid stopped traffic is among over 40% of Romanians who are poor, many of whom are elderly trying to live on meager government pensions that do not cover basic needs. There are not enough public or social community based care facilities here to give relief to the weak and ailing. 

With this post I do not mean to spotlight the negative side of my host country. I have witnessed plenty of heart-breaking poverty elsewhere in my travels around the world. And from what I've read, overall, Romanians are not without wholesome food. Still, that probably does not apply to this poor man.

It is rather disgraceful how even many so-called developed countries have removed the basic safety net for its retired senior citizens. I question our collective priorities daily.

Thus I reflect for Weekend Reflections and Weekend in B+W.

Feeling the Fruit

Delhi, 2010

Today I am linking with Mellow Yellow Monday.

[MyWorld] Bringing in the Catch

In my [personal] world it is a rare occasion that I get up early; I am a confirmed night owl and subjected to a fair amount of [deserved] teasing about it from my friends.

But when I do get up at the crack of dawn, if it's not to catch an early plane, it's typically for something exciting. On our trip to Mindoro some months ago, I was roused from bed to go see the fishermen come in with their catches of the day. I'm so very glad I did.  Here is some of what I saw (all images can be enlarged).

Mindoro, 2010

I am linking to My World Tuesday and Ruby Tuesday.

Big Silver Glasses in a Small Town

Quezon, 2010

Continuing my Quezon road trip series, with this photo I link with the community fascinated by reflections at Weekend Reflections.

Little Princess in Red

She's all dressed up to visit the mosque, this little princess in red.

Delhi, 2010

Okay, maybe her dress is closer to orange, but let's not quibble this season to be jolly, okay? I still think she's a gem and I'm linking with Mary's Ruby Tuesday.

[MyWorld] Portrait of My Hero

Do you have a living hero in your world?

I do and her name is Ruth.

I met Ruth sometime in the '80s after I had started working in China as a trade consultant. At that time she was the author of the first comprehensive travel guide to China. A Chinese-Canadian, she had been traveling in China long before the doors were even really opened to foreigners.

Let me first share with you her public profile and you'll see why I admire her:  

Ruth Lor Malloy is an obsessive freelance travel writer and photographer who also collects artifacts and stories for museums.  She specializes in Asia but is eager to travel the whole world as she is interested in peace through tourism, volunteerism, and ways to reduce carbon footprints. She has published articles in North American and Asian periodicals like The Globe and Mail, the South China Morning Post, and Hotelier and until 2002, she wrote a regularly updated guide book on the whole of China.

We have a lot of interests in common, not least our globe trotting and global view, and yet what makes Ruth my hero is her amazing stamina, ceaseless curiosity and indefatigable sense of adventure at an age when many much younger have slowed down and stopped learning. Not my friend Ruth. 

On her 70th birthday she was riding a yak around the base of the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet. That was a trip of 27 days and over 3600 km (2400 mi) on which she and her sister slept sometimes in tents, sometimes in primitive hostels. They traveled with their own cook and two jeeps. Their highest point was Mt Everest Base Camp at over 5000 meters with an overnight at Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world.

On her 75th birthday I was with her in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after we had roamed the far far west, ger hopping in search of museum-worthy ethnic footwear and clothing.

 Ulaanbaatar, 2007

I've already posted a number of images taken in places we've more recently traveled together - Guizhou, Gansu and Mongolia - as I tag along on her missions to find these cultural treasures. Here are just a handful of portraits I've taken of Ruth as she's doing what she does best.

Inspecting textiles

Checking lama boots

Sharing her photo with pilgrim

Interviewing our guide

Ruth has no notions of slowing down. She has just embarked on a brand new project that I think is wonderful. She has built a website with a multicultural calendar that informs the residents and visitors of Toronto of all the free or near free festivals and events to be enjoyed in the city. Then in her blog she describes her experiences and offers tips on how to best enjoy the scene. If you are in Ontario or plan to visit, these are must visit sites.  Or just go take a look and say hello to Ruth on her blog. And do share with your friends.

I want to end this portrait with my all-time favorite photo of Ruth as she merrily walks in the middle of Hovd province of Mongolia with the bounce of a 25-year-old.

And that is exactly what I want to be doing when I grow up. 

I'm just so glad she's in my world.

And that is my link for MyWorld Tuesday.

[MyWorld] Portrait of a Redhead

She is a groundskeeper at Humayun's tomb in Delhi. I wondered what her world was to her, working on the grounds of this over 400-year-old site, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, seeing visitors from all over the world every single day. 

 Delhi, 2010

This was a small side entrance, and she seemed to be as fascinated by me as I was by her. She did not mind my taking pictures of her. 

A long view of the architectural splendor.

This is linked with MyWorld Tuesday and Ruby Tuesday.

Sadhu in Kathmandu

A sadhu is a Hindu man (and the very occasional woman) who has chosen to forgo the physical pleasures of life in order to further their spiritual discipline to obtain "moksha" (liberation).  This ascetic - or holy man - I met in Durbar Square in Kathmandu willingly posed for my camera.

Kathmandu, 2010

His ochre-colored outfit symbolizes his renunciation. Yet I thought there was enough red here to qualify for Mary's Ruby Tuesday... don't you agree?

Growing Up Too Fast

Kathmandu, 2010

This photo joins The Weekend in Black and White.

Browns in a Buddhist Temple

Earlier this year my friend Deepak in Kathmandu took us to this tiny temple full of little treasures. I was peacefully taking it all in when a group of pilgrims from Tibet arrived to do the rounds of the prayer wheels, a ritual to spread spiritual blessings and invoke good karma in their next life. They seemed not to mind me at all as I continued to photograph as inconspicuously as I could.

Kathmandu, 2010

I don't know what this fearsome looking bronze creature represents, but from its well worn paws I surmise that touching them brings earthly luck.

This Buddhist woman is using her prayer beads to count her mantras, much like a Catholic counts prayers on a rosary.

This post will have too many photos, but I couldn't resist sharing this baby. Here on the motionless prayer wheel you can also see the markings of the most important mantra in Tibetan script, Om mani padme hum:

Each prayer wheel contains a roll of paper inscribed with multiples of this mantra. Spinning the wheels, always clockwise, is believed to have the same effect as saying or thinking the mantra, the aim being to develop compassion and wisdom and to get closer to reaching enlightenment.

Before leaving the temple, each pilgrim rang the bell:

This handsome man was in the temple when I arrived and when I left, perhaps the caretaker. His cap makes me think he is Muslim, and that would not be unusual, as in Nepal, according to Deepak, the two main religions co-exist peacefully and inter-marriage is not rare.

These beautiful browns in a temple join the meme Theme Thursday where today's theme is, you guessed it, BROWN. Click on the link to find links to more beautiful browns. And clicking any photo will enlarge it in a different tab in your browser.