Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest
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Musée Héritage Museum (St. Albert Place) 5 St. Anne Street, St. Albert, Alberta T8N 3Z9
Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Aaron Leon
Since ancient times, both men and women of the Northwest Coast have marked their clan crests and symbols of personal identity onto their skin. After 1885, when the practices of tattooing and potlatches were banned, the display of personal crest designs was transferred to clothing and jewelry.
“Indigenous tattooing and piercing are deeply connected to the struggle and triumphs of Indigenous peoples”, says guest curator Dion Kaszas, a Hungarian, Métis and Nlaka’pamux tattoo artist, painter and cultural tattoo practitioner. “Having a physical ancestral mark helps to instill pride as we make ourselves visible as the original peoples of this land. It is also significant for many – particularly those who are displaced – on their journey of self-discovery and understanding of what it means to be Indigenous”.
As these important tattooing traditions re-emerge, the five contemporary Indigenous artists featured in Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest, including Nakkita Trimble (Nisga’a), Nahaan (Tlingit), Corey Bulpitt (Haida) and Dean Hunt (Heiltsuk) transcend mere decoration to provide healing, protection and a profound sense of belonging.