'Before colonization, tattoos were normal.' Traditional Inuit tattoos were almost wiped out

Arsaniq Deer has been an artist all her life. She works with watercolours, sewing, embroidery and — more recently — traditional Inuit tattoos, or kakiniit.

"Inuit have always had tattoos, since time immemorial," Deer says in the documentary Telling Our Story, a four-part documentary series that offers Indigenous perspectives on the past, present and future from the 11 First Peoples whose homelands host Quebec, Labrador, New Brunswick and Ontario.

"Tunniit, kakiniit were our life story, and are our life story to this day." (Tunniit are traditional Inuit women's face tattoos.) 

In the video above, Deer talks about the sacredness of tattooing for Inuk women and explains how she's participating in its revitalization, anchored in the knowledge and traditions of the elders. 

As Deer prepares to tattoo Olivia Ikey, who is Inuk from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, the two talk about the spiritual meaning of tattoos and how tattoos keep them connected to their origins and ancestors.

This conversation has been edited and condensed.

Arsaniq Deer: My name is Arsaniq Deer. I'm from Quaqtaq, Nunavik. I am Inuk and I am a traditional tattoo artist.

A way to find your family in the afterlife

Deer: Inuit believe that when you are in the afterlife, you meet your family and they would look at your tattoos and recognize you, and they would know who you are.

Olivia Ikey: When we were being taught that, I got afraid that if I go on to the other side, that I won't be able to find my family, or they won't be able to find me.

The meanings behind the markings, both modern and traditional 

Deer: A lot of designs are modernized today, 'cause we have different accomplishments now. Traditionally, back then it would be your first pair of pualuuk mitts, sealskin boots, first parka. 

Today, people make their own meanings. Like overcoming depression or graduating college or high school. And a lot of people put their own meaning for family or friends that passed away. So some of my markings are for them. 

This is the womanhood marking [points to her forehead]. These were [points to tattoos at the outer corners of her eyes] … It was believed it would sharpen the vision for hunting. 

Women would get their thighs tattooed to prepare them for childbirth and so the child would have something beautiful to see when it first enters the world.

Ikey: When you got your first period, you would get marked for your first tattoo under your chin to signify that you were a woman. So I don't know why I'm freaking out if eight-year-olds could do it. I should be OK!

Deer: I try to do this [lights the qulliq, a traditional Inuit lamp) before tattoos. 'Cause it's really calming to me and qulliq was used for everything, even tattoos. 

After I got my chin markings, my grandma said in Inuktitut, "Taakkua piuginngitaka." Like, I don't like those on the face.

Ikey: Imagine if my grandmother had tattoos. She would perm her hair and wear pearls and always talked about the afterlife of Jesus. 

Deer: Mine, too.

Ikey: I hope … I hope they got there. I hope she got there.

'When we were younger, it was embarrassing. We didn't want to be Inuit'

Deer: Before colonization, tattoos were normal and everybody had tattoos. If you didn't have any tattoos, it was strange. And now it's the opposite today. 

Colonization took everything away: drum dancing, sewing, the qulliq. They took away our dogs. They took everything from our culture.

A lot of our elders were colonized and raised in Christian religion or Catholic religion. And that taught them shame about who they are and their culture and tattoos. So they feel ashamed for us when they see us with our markings. 

It's hard to live with that, but I've learned not to take it personally and understand it's from colonization.

Ikey: When we were younger, it was embarrassing. We didn't want to be Inuit because of everything we heard: the stereotypes, the everything. 

And we took that on ourselves, like our grandparents did towards tattoos. And we carried that for so long. 

Watch Telling Our Story on CBC Gem.