That’s what I want to do: recognize we are a people that thrived here and have thousands of years of ancestry and that’s something to be proud of.”Colonization by the United States and Denmark brought with it tremendous shame in being Inuit. A tattoo on a woman’s thighs can represent greeting a newborn into the world. On February 8, Cinema Politica Concordia launched its Indigenous-focused film program at Concordia University, titled “First Peoples, First Screens.” The program aims to educate people about Canada’s systemic cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples and emphasizes decolonization and support for Indigenous self-determination. More tattoos meant a woman was older and had accomplished more, which was also celebrated.“That idea to celebrate Native girls and women is a big shift here that hasn’t always been done,” says Nordlum.
This is bringing us all together to make a bigger community, and together we can make a bigger impact in the way people perceive us and the way we perceive our community.”While Nordlum will tattoo non-Native people, there are certain Inuit designs she will not tattoo on them to protect this art form from cultural appropriation.“The few things I’m keeping sacred are the chin and finger tattoos that have Inuit significance to them,” she says. Some believe that a woman who receives a tattoo would have a better afterlife as a result of enduring such horrific pain. The first lines tattooed on the chin marked a girl who had come of age and was now an adult. Apr 28, 2017 - Explore Tattoomaze's board "Eskimo Face Tattoo", followed by 9740 people on Pinterest. It shows archival photographs of Inuit women with body and facial tattoos. The meanings of the tattoos, along with their designs, shift in respect to each unique community.By taking away this essential rite of passage, missionaries directly contributed to cultural genocide, which involved the erasure of Indigenous identities. Inuit traditional face tattoos have been forbidden for a century, and almost forgotten. The inaugural event attracted nearly 700 hundred people in University’s Henry F. Hall building.Last but not least, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ A Red Girl’s All three films relay powerful messages about unjust realities Indigenous communities face today and help to foster a much-needed space for dialogue and action.Yael Sorbara Korngold, a first-year student at Concordia, told The Daily, “The most exciting part for me was the event itself. Tattoos symbolized moments in a woman’s life, reflecting things like marriage and children. One featured film in the series, Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos (2011), explores the meaning of Inuit face and body tattoos, a tradition that has been nearly lost at the hands of Christian missionaries and as a result of colonization.
That was celebrated. And that’s going to change here; every week we’re tattooing more women. Outsiders have looked at Inuit tattoos as having legible meanings embedded within stable rituals, like clear markers signifying marriage or adulthood. Everything is being taken, not just from me but from everyone. Taking out patterns without benefit to our community is not okay. Inuit Tattoos in Greenland: See more ideas about Inuit, Facial tattoos, Tattoos.
The frustration is unbelievable from my point of view. It’s ultimately about community.”Nordlum also says that honoring traditional practices like the female face tattooing does not mean she is also advocating for a return to “Obviously in today’s world not everything is going to equate. […] “Tattooing provides this vehicle for talking about these issues, not as a negative thing but just as facts. Nordlum’s own great-grandmother had such tattoos and Nordlum had been considering getting her own for some time, but was hesitant because of concerns over how it would be perceived. The film, called “Bringing Inuit people from around the world together was a goal for us,” Nordlum says. I look at what other people are doing and think, ‘I’ve got to do more.’ There’s so much to be done around educating people about Inuit culture. It’s a tumultuous time we live in but that’s the best opportunity to make change, and I’m using that opportunity to be as fearless as possible.”[…] “Honoring Inuit Culture through Traditional Tattoos,” Nicole Rupersburg, Springboard for the Arts. That’s unrealistic. A woman’s tattoos signified her marriage eligibility. Jun 2, 2014 - Explore Anana Rai's board "Inuit Facial Tattoos", followed by 194 people on Pinterest. I just get run down by it. There are only a few getting chin tattoos, but when they [get any tattoos] it’s important culturally because now we live in the Western world. I’m from the Western world.‘But we can be proud of who we are and walk around with it every day and that’s enough to bring some healing. Nov 20, 2015 - Eskimo women tattoo design: Chin stripes served multiple purposes in social contexts. The fact that these issues are being spoken of in such a beautiful, meaningful way is something new and something necessary.”The film begins by providing historical context.