In this series of essays, we will take a deeper look at the spiritual divide that exists in Arctic Indigenous communities by developing a framework through which to interpret grassroots activism in the arts as practiced by the Inuit of the United States (Alaska), Canada, and Greenland, and the Sami of Northern Scandinavia. Our focus here will be on the resurgence of traditional Inuit tattoos as spaces of resistance to reclaim something that was once lost, one tattoo at a time.
We will begin from the ground up with an individual lens that centers the resurgence of traditional Inuit tattoos as a practice with deep spiritual and cultural significance (Coe et al., 2024). Because the revival of this practice is new and vulnerable, this emerging space is sacred to the Inuit as the future of these tattoos take shape and meaning. This transformative space
is breathing new life into a tradition that extends back to time immemorial with another layer of significance – they have lived through a period of genocide and the markings themselves are a declaration of their resilience, their independence, and their pride (Kaszas, as cited by Allford, 2019). This sense of reclamation is why Inuit women want to keep the tattoos to themselves (Allford, 2019) and why we, as travelers, must respect these spaces with the boundaries that they deserve.
Responsible Tourism
Here is where we embark upon our journey, as travelers – not only in search of new experiences, but in search of meaning. Our goal here is not to outline experiences to check off our bucket list, but is, instead, to connect us to a deeper dimension of understanding. Our intention is to offer guidance on best practices for travelers to dig into these experiences with a sense of responsibility and reciprocity. As visitors to these communities, it is our responsibility as travelers in pursuit of new experiences to shift our consciousness toward an understanding of our interconnectedness. This is a call for an awakening of this awareness and its underlying force: an activation of the intelligence of the heart (Scharmer, 2018). Our goal as travelers is to protect and further activate the essence of our humanity by crossing the abyss from a current reality haunted by a colonial past to an emerging future that is inspired by our transformative potential (Scharmer, 2018). Our focus here will be on exploring these evolving spaces as a catalyst for taking back an identity that was once taken away in a spiritual divide – a forced disconnect as a result of colonization.
Indigenous Worldviews
At the heart of these communities is an Indigenous worldview that is grounded in relationality and balance in the same way that the circle is deeply rooted in an understanding of profound interconnectedness as the nature of the universe (Pranis, n.d.). Most Indigenous worldviews recognize relationality as the life force which supports and nourishes life (Dudgeon & Bray, as cited by Tynan, 2021). The understanding is that the quality of the relationship with living and non-living entities has an activating responsibility that humans have to exercise living in relation with the principle of reciprocity (Tuhiwai Smith, 2022). It is from this standpoint that we will explore these modern arts practices as they contribute to social, political, and environmental activism in connection to spaces of resistance as shaped by Arctic Indigenous communities.
Together, we must work to create new holding spaces and activate a generative eco-system: a co-created space that is shaped by flow as the moving force of life (Csikszentmihalyi, 2013). This idea of the generative eco-system is grounded in relational worldviews that have long shaped the existence of Indigenous communities and their ability to see interrelationships rather than linear cause-effect chains and processes of change rather than snapshots (Senge, 2006). Western ideas about history are shaped by lineal views of time and space, whereas Indigenous views maintain a different positioning within time and space (Tuhiwai Smith, 2022). They also use different systems of language with concepts of time and space that underpin notions of past and present, of place and or relationships to the land (Tuhiwai Smith, 2022). Many Indigenous worldviews are defined by the Seventh Generation Principle, in which leaders are encouraged to remember seven generations in the past and consider seven generations in the future when making decisions (Mankiller, as cited by Hovland, 2021). In a relational reality, ancestors aren’t separated from life to death and all realities are liminal and affect one another (Tuhiwai Smith, 2022). This idea shapes the belief that we are all connected to a community that transcends time (PBS, n.d.).
Spaces of Resistance
It is with this in mind that we delve more deeply into this spirit of interconnectedness – from the past to the future, from dark to light, from ashes to rebirth. As Arctic Indigenous communities work to reclaim their identities in the struggle against a colonial legacy, the revival of this long lost art has taken on a life of its own in recent years (Coe et al., 2024) to negotiate the space between what was lost and what could be. The emergence of a community of female Inuit tattoo artists who are learning the craft and developing a social framework around the practice, in addition to the women who are electing to embrace the tradition with tattoos of their own, suggests the presence of a new space within which they are forging new pathways to shift the paradigms of the practice into the uncharted territory. As these layers of resistance manifest across cultural, political, and geographical boundaries, they weave together a holistic cartography of the interrelation between these domains where one realm can incite (r)evolution inside another (Oxman, 2016).
As outsiders looking in, it becomes necessary to develop an understanding of the past in order to support Arctic Indigenous communities as they reclaim their identities with a resurgence that carries with it the voices of generations from long ago. Although colonial histories vary across Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, the Indigenous communities in these regions have all endured generations of abuse, trauma, and marginalization at the hands of missionaries and colonizers, who prevented them from learning their cultural traditions and passing them down – breaking a link to millennia of traditional knowledge and practices (Willahan, 2018).
The practice of traditional Inuit tattoos was deemed ‘sinful’ and ‘uncivilized’ by colonizers who banned the practice in these regions so that it disappeared within fifty years of their arrival (Folger, 2023). Prior to their disappearance, traditional Inuit markings – kakiniit (body) or tunnit (face) – had been worn by Inuit women for millennia, each with sacred meanings and stories behind them (Angulalik, 2021). According to some, these markings served as a way to find your family in the afterlife (Deer, 2023). Many tattoo patterns represent Sila, the life force in Inuit mythology that can be interpreted as “breath,” “sky,” “spirit,” and “universe” (Coe et al., 2024), and Sedna, the Mother of the Sea in Inuit mythology (Holm, n.d.). Inuit tattoos could be seen as a kind of amulet giving strength, help, or protection to the women who had gotten them (Coe et al., 2024), and could also be used to mark milestones and triumphs, including the birth of a child (Angulalik, 2021). Traditional face markings were symbolic of women’s collective spiritual responsibility, while other types of markings carried cultural significance involving hunting, fishing, the survival of current and future generations, and connections to their ancestors (Visit Greenland, n.d.).
Guidance for Travelers
As we work to decolonize these spaces of emerging possibilities, it is essential for us, as outsiders, to decolonize our thinking which is shaped by Western perspectives. As we shift our thinking, it becomes necessary to be mindful of the nature of our dialogue with a heightened consciousness so that we are creating conditions (Scharmer, 2018) that will allow Indigenous groups to claim these spaces as their own and on their own terms. In this way, we can achieve a deeper level of knowing to support these spaces with responsibility and reciprocity.
Because the revival of this practice is still very new and vulnerable, many consider it a sensitive subject when non-Inuit people ask about the meanings of their tattoos (Visit Greenland, n.d.). These markings may also represent difficult stories and experiences, including the loss of loved ones (Angulalik, 2021), so, as travelers, it’s best to recognize that there are boundaries to respect as Indigenous people work to co-create new spaces in which some things are kept sacred and not shared. When viewed through the lens of decolonizing tourism, conversations in this space must stem from the idea of what is sacred versus what is shareable (Graci et al., 2019). The meaning behind the tattoo belongs to the woman who wears the tattoo, so it is important to respect this space with an appreciation of beauty rather than a direct inquiry (Angulalik, 2021). It is also important to recognize that, after a long history of oppression, we should support Indigenous groups to feel empowered about sharing their cultural knowledge on their terms.
According to Alaska-based Iñupiaq artist Holly Mititquq, “I get tired of the question, ‘What does [a tattoo] mean? Because it’s big. It’s like governance. We are just taking back something. . .I think that this is the best time; we can have the biggest and loudest voice. So it’s an opportunity,” (Willahan, 2018).
These tattoos are considered appropriate for Indigenous groups only (Allford, 2019). The deep importance of traditional tattoos to healing, identity, and reclaiming something that was violently taken is part of the reason that cultural appropriation of Inuit tattoos and practices is so harmful to the healing process (Willahan, 2018). Cultural appropriation as the theft of Indigenous aesthetics is only one aspect of pervasive colonial legacies which still plague Inuit communities across the Arctic, extending to issues of sovereignty and self-determination (Willahan, 2018).
As travelers seeking to learn through new experiences, it is necessary to become familiar with the deeper dimension from which our actions, communication, and perceptions arise, which allows us to sense and connect with a whole new set of future possibilities (Scharmer, 2018). In creating space for Arctic Indigenous communities to reclaim their identities on their own terms, we, as outsiders, must respect boundaries and focus on the emerging future rather than reacting to what we might consider a loss (Scharmer, 2018). Since they are just now returning to the art, Inuit communities ask for a little bit of space to do that, “to find what it is for us now,” (Mititquq, as cited by Wallahan, 2018).
Coming Back to Life
Once teetering on the brink of being lost, the art of Inuit tattooing is making a comeback as a lifeline for Indigenous identity and culture in the Arctic. The increasing visibility of traditional Inuit tattoos today marks a powerful resurgence of traditional practices and movements that are being transformed to shift the paradigms toward decolonization. Because the process of learning about the meaning of and receiving a tattoo intersects healing, spirituality, identity, and heritage, these tattoos are essential in the journey to heal from generational trauma for many Inuit women (Willahan, 2018).
These markings are now being proudly worn while coming out of secrecy to shape new spaces during a time when the Inuit are seeking their own identity. This new identity and new space is especially relevant to the Inuit diaspora living in Denmark, where an emerging ‘third culture’ of those with Danish and Greenlandic Inuit descent is taking hold (Coe et al., 2024). Although the legacies of colonialism hang heavy over the community in Denmark, most come in search of tattoos for a sense of belonging and leave with a sense of healing and empowerment (Coe et al., 2024).
According to Nunavut-based Inuk artist Arsaniq Deer, “tunnitt and kakiniit were our life story, and are our life story to this day,” (Deer, 2023).” Some would consider this resurgence less of a revival and more of a reinvention, in part because of the changing meanings of the markings over time (Folger, 2023). Many of the meanings of the tattoos have vanished over the generations, so women are creating new ones (Allford, 2019). In its traditional form, it was highly group-oriented and grounded in spirituality and hunting practices, whereas today, designs have been modernized to reflect different types of accomplishments, including graduating high school/college or overcoming depression (Deer, 2023). And yet, although traditional markings vary from region to region, they all represent a connection to Mother Earth (Kaszas, as cited by Allford, 2019).
“We are reclaiming this for us. . .I hope people continue to be understanding about that. It wouldn’t be right if anyone else got these tattoos because it’s our way of claiming back what we lost,” (Pederson, as cited by Allford, 2019).
As Arctic Indigenous communities move forward into uncharted territory to reclaim their identity with traditional Inuit tattoos, it is our responsibility as travelers to hold space for this transformation. These sites of resistance have taken on a life of their own and will continue to catalyze change as we work to co-create from a future potential that wants to emerge (Scharmer, 2018). As we remember seven generations in the past and consider seven generations in the future (Mankiller, as cited by Hovland, 2021), we must keep in mind that we are here to bear witness to this lost art as it makes a comeback, one tattoo at a time.
References
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KELLI PARK 