The Last Legend

In a far flung place of Kalinga in the Philippines, there is an old lady who claims to be the legend by doing an old method of pine needle tattooing which they called it as "batok." She is Apo Whang-Od and she's already 98 years old, one of the oldest elders in their tribe and the only one who can perform the body art. Upon my interview with her, she told me that she inherited the art from her great ancestors and she's on a mission to continue this ancient practice and pass it on to the next generation to preserve the culture and tradition. It is now one of the tourist attractions in the Philippines and lot of guests coming from different places visiting her just to have a mark from the legend. The locals told me that during her time, no one can easily have the tattoo unless you have killed an enemy or you have done something heroic for their tribe. And by the way, her body is full of tattoos as it signify beauty and bravery for the women of Buscalan.
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