The traditional practice dates back centuries but was banned by 19th and 20th-century missionaries. The post How Native Arctic women are taking back the art of Inuit tattoos appeared first on Matador Network. Healing and Trauma: For some Inuit women today, tattooing is a way to heal traumas they have faced. Inuit tattoo has been practiced in Alaska for millennia by Iñupiat and Yup’ik women. Now, these modern traditional tattoo artists are not only reviving but also evolving the practice. This has been controversial: A number of Native tattoo artists, and tattooed women, have spoken out against the appropriation of their culture while others, like Nordlum, have chosen to leave room for conversation. Per capita, it’s three times any other race.”. Your email address will not be published. Every poke is a way, for the spirit to gain release and for the trauma to seep out of the body. In fact, they’re the reason … So really it’s just more stealing of something that’s 10,000 years old.”. The daughter of a pilot, Nordlum remembers being encouraged to ask questions when her father flew in Native Alaskan elders from Wainwright or Port Hope, awed by the markings the women wore on their faces and bodies. Elsewhere in Nunavut, in Gjoa Haven, the Nattilik Inuit have been cited as believing that only tattooed women would be allowed into the afterlife in the sky. Additional stripes were drawn when a woman mastered a new skill or reached a milestone, like learning to sew a seal-skin parka or giving birth. Those without tattoos would be condemned to a bleaker afterlife underground known as Nuqurmiut. Across the Arctic, in Canada, Hovak Johnston has been instrumental in casting new light on the practice through her Inuit Tattoo Revitalization Project, which inspired many of today’s tattooers and tattooees. To the Inuit people of Alaska, tattoos held a strong spiritual connection. Arnaquq- Baril, together with long-time friend and activist Aaju Peter, is determined to uncover the mystery and meaning behind this beautiful ancient tradition. In many cases, it’s also an intimate moment shared between Native women. “I was always curious about our tattoos,” says Nordlum, recalling the few times she saw them in person as a girl. In the 19th and 20th centuries, European missionaries built boarding schools on Native land across the circumpolar Arctic. Native children were forced to attend and kept from their culture. Less visible tattoos might have served other purposes. Of course, everyone has their own personal meanings attached to their tattoos so don't assume that any of these answers are definite, think of them as a sort of guideline. … Nonetheless, even for those who don’t speak the region’s Indigenous languages and whose grasp on the precise meanings behind Inuit ink might be tenuous, the significance of the practice is evident, as much today as ever. Over the years, academics have recorded various explanations for Inuit tattoos. Image by Hannah Lies/Alaska Public Media In Nordlum’s experience, she is often approached in coffee lines and grocery stores and asked what her tattoos mean. It’s really such a simple language,” says Nordlum, who hesitates to simplify the practice into a convenient, “coffee-line answer” for anybody’s benefit. “When I did my research on Inuit tattoos, I had just assumed that Inuit were behind the other First Nations groups… that they probably had all kinds of traditional tattooing going on. For the past five years, she’s worked as a traditional tattoo artist in Anchorage, joining a league of Native women across the circumpolar Arctic working to revive the practice and redefine what it means today. mobile app. "[Inuit tattoos are usually] a sign of coming of age, reaching the duties and roles of a woman or [they mark] something significant that happened in that woman's life." Apr 8, 2017 - Explore Mary Ann Westwood's board "Inuit Tattoos" on Pinterest. And that alone is worth celebrating with a new generation of tattoos. One thing Johnston cautions against is cultural appropriation of Inuit tattoos if … In some communities, the tattoos traditionally worked as a purification ritual to please the spirit of the sun during a woman’s period. Alaska is home to diverse cultures and tattooing traditions. Tunniit tattoo is a machinefree environment and mainly focuses on doing Traditional Inuit Kakiornerit, but is open to do costume tattoos as long as the project can be done with Handpoking and/or skinstitching. Nov 20, 2015 - Eskimo women tattoo design: Chin stripes served multiple purposes in social contexts. A post shared by Inuit Art Foundation (@inuitartfoundation) on Jul 10, 2020 at 1:47pm PDT. For thousands of years, Inuit women practised the traditional art of tattooing. Nordlum’s studio is attached to her house, which is usually full of women: her mother, neighbors, friends, elders, other tattoo artists. Tattoos have become so ubiquitous that we don’t bat an eye at people with fingers adorned with black ink, full sleeves, or even neck tattoos. The resurgence of Inuit ink within Native communities has also generated interest among Western enthusiasts. There are limits to widening the practice, however. Prior to colonization, Indigenous peoples practiced traditional tattooing as proud announcements of their cultural heritage. Here is a handy guide to help you learn the traditional meaning, or meanings, behind a huge assortment of different tattoos. Native Arctic women tattooed one another for millennia before Western colonizers abolished the custom. “Face tattoos were celebrations of a woman’s life,” says Nordlum, and advertisements of their womanhood. Qaqqaq was elected on October 22. Every tattoo or ‘Flash’ is a personal statement but there are certain common meanings. What do Inuit tattoos mean? Last week in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, about 20 women took part in revitalizing the Inuit custom of women’s tattoos, a practice that was forbidden by Christian missionaries a century ago. Postcard from the collection of the author. Outsiders have looked at Inuit tattoos as having legible meanings embedded within stable rituals, like clear markers signifying marriage or adulthood. Photo courtesy of Nicole Etitiq Nicole Etitiq decided to follow her family’s footsteps and got her first traditional tattoos in 2017. Now, Nordlum sports the tattoos her great-grandmother once did. When beginning to choose a tattoo, some people have a meaning in mind and are looking for a symbol to convey that meaning. Last week in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, about 20 women took part in revitalizing the Inuit custom of women's tattoos. “If you look at our statistics — incarceration, alcoholism, crime — it’s all our men here in Alaska. Colonization suppressed traditional tattooing, but a new generation of Indigenous women are revitalizing and restoring the practice. Less visible tattoos might have served other purposes. The daughter of a pilot, Nordlum remembers being encouraged to ask questions when her father flew in Native Alaskan elders from Wainwright or Port Hope, awed by the markings the women wore on their faces and bodies. "Only chosen women got traditional tattoos and they were done at puberty and it meant she was capable of taking the full responsibilities of a woman, so going from young girl to young woman." The traditional markings have deep meanings stretching all the way back to the Inuit origin stories and the sea goddess Sedna. Though cotton thread and Western needles have replaced materials like sinew, bone, and porcupine quills, some degree of pain is inevitable, particularly when it comes to tender areas like the face. Search for a topic, destination or article, We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. Though “Iñupiaq” and “Yupik” are the comparable terms for Native Alaskans, the use of “Inuit tattoo” in this article reflects the language commonly used by Native tattoo artists throughout the Arctic region. Other ink was medicinal: Many women suffering from inflammation caused by breastfeeding tattooed their chests. Authentic style facial tattoos on Sylvia Iyalu (playing "Atuat") from the Inuit … Though “Iñupiaq” and “Yupik” are the comparable terms for Native Alaskans, the use of “Inuit tattoo” in this article reflects the language commonly used by Native tattoo artists throughout the Arctic region. Although she recognizes and appreciates that each tattoo means something different to every Inuk woman, she sees traditional tattoos as a way to connect and share stories with other Inuit women. While each has her own perspective on how the ink should be treated in the 21st century, it’s because of their collective effort that Native girls, and boys, can once again grow up admiring the heritage that was taken from them. As a new generation of women is learning the art of Inuit tattooing, a closeness is being fostered among the women working to revive the practice. Eskimos especially practiced the art of tattooing, woman more frequently than men. While each has her own perspective on how the ink should be treated in the 21st century, it’s because of their collective effort that Native girls, and boys, can once again grow up admiring the heritage that was taken from them. Holly Mititquq Nordlum grew up admiring her great-grandmother’s tattoos. In the mid-20th century, French ethnographer Bernard Saladin d’Anglure traveled to Nunavut in Arctic Canada to interview Atuat Ittukusuk, the last tattooed woman in her Igloolik village. Other times, Nordlum is alone with the women she tattoos, “and then there’s tears and joy and understanding. I would be very offended … I know a few non-Native people here in Alaska who’ve done it, and it doesn’t recognize either culture because they don’t even know the meaning … And they’re not of that marginalized society. Among the Inuit, there are variations of straight lines, Vs, and dots decorated on the face and hands. The traditional practice dates back centuries but was banned by 19th and 20th-century missionaries. Revitalizing Inuit Traditional Tattooing Gathered and compiled by Angela Hovak Johnston Photography by Cora DeVos and Meta Antolin Inhabit Media, November 2017 For thousands of years, Inuit women practised the traditional art of tattooing. Neo-traditional Bear Tattoos. Scripture was the strongest indictment: “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you” (Leviticus 19:28). In the meantime, though Désilets says Igloolik has a lot of collective memory about traditional practices bound up in elders, the community could use a conversation-starter on “what the traditional tattoos are.” She suggests Iqaluit filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s 2010 documentary, Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos. They just like the way that it looks. Editor’s note: The term “Inuit” is broadly used to refer to Native peoples from the circumpolar Arctic in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Episode 1: Modern Interpretations of Traditional Iñuit Tattoos This episode explores traditional Iñuit tattooing and the modern interpretations of traditional tattooing. Editor’s note: The term “Inuit” is broadly used to refer to Native peoples from the circumpolar Arctic in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. “Even around the world we all know each other.”, Photo: Michael Conti Photography + www.naniqdesign.com, Though Native Arctic men were not traditionally inked, Nordlum, who has two sons, also sees the value in opening up the practice to Native boys. More tattoos meant a woman was older and had accomplished more, which was also celebrated. Created with bone needles and caribou sinew soaked in seal oil or soot, these tattoos were an important tradition for many […] Jun 2, 2014 - Explore Anana Rai's board "Inuit Facial Tattoos", followed by 219 people on Pinterest. A tattoo on a woman’s thighs can represent greeting a newborn into the world. Though the women in her Iñupiaq village in Arctic Alaska had not been tattooed for generations, photographs of the matriarch hung in the homes of all Nordlum’s relatives, her traditional ink on full display. … Each tattoo signified an important accomplishment — maybe skinning a fox or sewing a seal-skin parka.. To this day, Nordlum’s mother speaks no Iñupiaq. 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In fact, they’re the reason … So really it’s just more stealing of something that’s 10,000 years old.”. I think these tattoos are very individual to these types of tribes. For millennia, Inuit women would get tattoos with needles made of bone or sinew soaked in suet. Across the Arctic, in Canada, Hovak Johnston has been instrumental in casting new light on the practice through her Inuit Tattoo Revitalization Project, which inspired many of today’s tattooers and tattooees. For many modern Native women, much of that hurt is also emotional. In either case, the below list of tattoos and their meanings may help you find the perfect tattoo with the perfect meaning. on Pinterest. “We all know each other,” says Nordlum. Tattoos symbolized moments in a woman’s life, reflecting things like marriage and children. Some have even requested the tattoos.