In Alaska, women work to revive the art of traditional Inuit tattoos
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Skin stitching is a more intimate form of tattooing than the modern tattoo gun. It is a slower process and allows for more time for reconnection, reflection, and healing. To Sarah Whalen-Lunn, this process has been life-changing.
"It just has boiled me down to the absolute most true core of myself that I have ever been," Whalen-Lunn told "Indie Alaska."
She and Holly Nordlum are accomplished artists and part of a group of women reviving traditional Inuit tattoos and tattooing methods. Nordlum was born in Kotzebue, an Alaskan village, and is currently based in Anchorage where she works with Whalen-Lunn as traditional skin stitching and hand poke artists.
In Nordlum's experience, she is often approached in coffee lines and grocery stores and asked what her tattoos mean. The expectation that something like a tattoo can have a definitive meaning is an idea that cannot really be applied to these very personal markings. The Inuit culture and stories behind these markings are not something that can be boiled down into a few sentences.
"People get them for different reasons, they signify different things in their lives. I just like to keep an open mind and an open book always," Nordlum said.
Nordlum started traditional tattooing because she wanted to give back. "I had been thinking about it for 20 years. And how can I not just get one, but do it right? What am I doing for my own people that is going to make it better," she said.
Holly and Sarah are continuing to create community through these markings by training other Inuit women as apprentices. They are also currently working on a film, "Tupik: Inuit Ink." that tells their story of reviving the traditional art form.
This report originally appeared on Alaska Public Media's "Indie Alaska."
Support Canvas
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
Comedy has long been a way to bring a different, lighter lens to heavy topics. That holds true for Palestinian…
Gibson, a celebrated poet and performance artist who through their verse explored gender identity, politics and their 4-year battle with…
No other dramas came close to the dystopian workplace series “Severance,” which achieved a convergence of acclaim and audience buzz…
Superman, one of the summer’s most eagerly anticipated blockbusters, delivered with a big opening weekend. Jeffrey Brown sat down with…
Presidential advisor and former News Hour contributor David Gergen died at 83 after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. Throughout…
As a new “Superman” reboot opens in theaters, here's a roundup of big summer spectacles, comedies and lesser-known streaming gems.
At an Omaha, Nebraska, festival this summer, new work explores the intersection of art, disability and technology, asking questions like…
The huge amount on Thursday blew past what auctioneer Sotheby’s had said was the previous record for a handbag. The…
From college stardom at Iowa to shattering attendance records and becoming a top financial driver for the WNBA, Caitlin Clark’s…
Journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf are out with a new book unpacking the twists and turns of…
An artist who was once uprooted from her homeland has spent decades transforming works of nature into works of art.…
Virgil Abloh was a boundary-breaking designer who made streetwear luxurious and luxury feel accessible. Abloh was the first Black artistic…
Michael Madsen, whose menacing characters in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill” made him a standout in Quentin Tarantino’s films, has…
Sean “Diddy" Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but found guilty of prostitution offenses. The mixed verdict…
Colum McCann's Narrative 4 organization is bringing the power of story to students in a time of division. The project…