Post by The Female Quotient

At 109 years old, Apo Whang-Od is a living legend and the last living master of mambabatok, a traditional tattooing practice from the Philippines. For centuries, people in her region have passed down the art of hand-tapped tattoos. Using an ancient technique known as batok, Whang-Od creates each design with a citrus tree thorn, charcoal mixed with water for ink, and a bamboo stick used to tap the pattern into the skin. Visitors from around the world travel to her village of Buscalan to meet and be tattooed by the woman keeping this centuries-old tradition alive