Whang Od’s granddaughter claims that Nas Daily is “exploiting art and culture.”
Nas Daily was chastised for allegedly abusing the Butbot Tribe’s culture by advertising a course about the 1000-year-old art form without their permission on their website.
Apo Whang Od’s granddaughter, Gracia Palicas, said on Facebook that Nas Daily’s “Whang Od Academy” is not real, and that their village is concerned that some individuals are benefitting from and exploiting their art and culture.
Whang Od, also known as Maria Oggay, is the “last and oldest mambabatok,” or traditional tattoo artist.
Nas Daily unveiled a new “school” named “Whang-od Academy” where people may join up to learn how to conduct traditional “mambabatok” tattooing.
In a P750 video course, the platform promised to teach the time-honored skill of Kalinga tattooing.
Palicas claims, however, that her grandmother never signed a contract with Nas Daily. Nas Daily’s website has subsequently taken it down.
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