‘Now we can take it back’: Iñupiaq artist is part of a new generation that’s revitalizing Inuit tattooing (2024)

FAQs

How is this Alaskan woman bringing back the art of Inuit tattoos? ›

While some artists have gone modern, using tattoo guns, Nordlum learned the traditional methods from a woman in Greenland over one month. She painstakingly hand pokes and hand stitches the intricate designs with a needle and cotton thread, which leave a trail of ink under a person's skin.

Traditionally a source of pride and a rite of passage for Inuit women, the practice was considered shamanistic to the Catholic missionaries and the communities that they worked to convert. Biblical passages forbidding the practice of tattooing served as additional pressure to forbid the practice.

Inuit facial tattoos

Chin tattoos are called tavlugun in Iñupiaq, talloquteq in Greenlandic language, and represent womanhood. The lines are vertical and may be parallel or may radiate outward at the bottom. Other designs include a V on the forehead, which may descend to between the eyebrows.

Inuit tattoos throughout the Circumpolar North region historically were made by women, for women. Receiving tattoos was a ceremonial rite of passage that marked important events in a woman's life, such as the transition from girlhood to womanhood, or the birth of child.

The 3 lines tattooed on the chin is a common sight in many cultures. In some societies, the lines represent the three stages of a woman's life: maiden, mother, and crone. In others, the lines stand for the three elements of nature: earth, air, and water.

Trends from the1990's and early 2000's are coming back, from low slung pants with cargo pockets to butterfly clips. The tattoo scene is no different, with tramp stamps, barbed wire and tribal tattoos seeing a resurgence in 2022.

In 1961, it officially became illegal to give someone a tattoo in New York City. But Thom deVita didn't let this new restriction deter him from inking people.

“In Confucianism, conserving the skin and body inherited from parents was an exemplar of filial piety, and deemed necessary for a civilized society,” he said in an email interview, “whereas tattooing signified an uncivilized practice and a failure to uphold family duties.”

The letter V on the forehead means entering womanhood. Stripes on the chin signify a woman's first period. The tattoos “beautify a woman and make her complete,” says Kyak. And they also ensured that in the afterlife, a woman would go to “a place of plentiful, happiness and good things.”

Alaska Natives increasingly prefer to be known by the names they use in their own languages, such as Inupiaq or Yupik. "Inuit" is now the current term in Alaska and across the Arctic, and "Eskimo" is fading from use. The Inuit Circumpolar Council prefers the term "Inuit" but some other organizations use "Eskimo".

Do Native Hawaiians have tattoos? ›

The practice dates back centuries and is deeply rooted in the traditions of the indigenous people of Hawaii. These tattoos were not merely decorative; they were a reflection of one's identity, status, and connection to the land and ancestors. Tattoos in Hawaiian culture held immense significance.

Many Indigenous tribes around the world have distinctive traditional facial tattoos—the Māori have Tā Moko, the Inuit have Kakiniit—but Gwich'in tattoos often appear as three distinctive lines on the chin, as well as lines on the cheeks or corners of the eye. “The lines represent a rite of passage,” says Potts-Joseph.

The Inuit's most important tattoos are those worn on the face and hands. A woman's first Tunniit is the Talloqut, the chin tattoo she receives when her skills are good enough for her to help fill a role and take on responsibilities in her community. It usually happens around the age of her first menstruation.

The first lines tattooed on the chin marked a girl who had come of age and was now an adult. That was celebrated. Tattoos symbolized moments in a woman's life, reflecting things like marriage and children. More tattoos meant a woman was older and had accomplished more, which was also celebrated.

Inuksuk (also spelled inukshuk, plural inuksuit) is a figure made of piled stones or boulders constructed to communicate with humans throughout the Arctic. Traditionally constructed by the Inuit, inuksuit are integral to Inuit culture and are often intertwined with representations of Canada and the North.

The first lines tattooed on the chin marked a girl who had come of age and was now an adult. That was celebrated. Tattoos symbolized moments in a woman's life, reflecting things like marriage and children. More tattoos meant a woman was older and had accomplished more, which was also celebrated.

In regards to carved objects, many of the Inuit Art pieces were depicted to show day to day activities that the Inuit were involved in, such as hunting. Since the materials were made from common things that could be found within the communities, Inuit Art was a very important part of the culture.

It can have various meanings such as beauty, femininity, romance, heroine, a muse, desire, independence, or good luck. Here are some girl head tattoos rendered by Kings Avenue Tattoo artists. The female face or head has been the center point of countless traditional renderings in the tattoo realm.