Tattoo Practice
I am indebted to the other Indigenous tattoo practitioners and skin markers who are leading the resurgence of Indigenous tattooing in the Northwest coast. The Northwest coast has a lush visual culture, and one that is linked strongly to our political systems and governance. Our ancestral skin markings included formline clan crests, patterns that represented status, political leadership, and kinship relations. The resurgence of Indigenous tattooing has begun to allow individuals to connect to their identities as Indigenous people. My tattoo practice aims also to revive our responsibilities for protecting the land and water—as we come into our own skin we also make visible our roles and responsibilities within and between our nations. In my research, writing, and tattooing, I aim to strengthen Indigenous collective well-being and autonomy and resist colonial incursions into Indigenous life. In this way, I see my tattooing as a material embodiment of the theories and methodologies that guide my academic work—I strive to be non-extractive, reciprocal, collaborative, and anti-colonial. Tattooing is an art that is only possible with the participation of our communities—our markings only hold meaning in relation to each other and the land. It is this relation that needs the most tending right now.
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I tattoo in Whitehorse, Yukon (and occasionally in Toronto).
Find me on Instagram @annespicetattoo
