Face tattoos often carry with them a negative stigma, yet this neglects their cultural significance among Indigenous communities. Today many communities are reviving tattooing traditions nearly extinguished during colonization.
Lars Krutak, a cultural anthropologist, has extensively researched facial tattooing traditions across 30 nations. He conducted extensive fieldwork for his graduate work among the Yupik on Alaska’s St Lawrence Island.
The Spirit Animals
Native Americans cherish and revere their totem animals as part of their identity and culture, representing their personality, values, and character traits.
Spirit animals can often be found tattooed onto clothing or totem poles – marking out who they are in an instant! The totem animal can also be seen as an emblem of power for both tribes and individuals alike, serving to protect, empower, and lead on their life paths.
For example, the blue jay symbolizes intelligence, self-reliance, and determination – characteristics that can help people navigate challenging times more efficiently.
TikToker Shina Novalinga recently posted a video of herself getting traditional Inuit facial markings – known as yidiiltoo – with her mother. Novalinga’s followers were excited that she revived this tradition, which helped raise awareness about these powerful marks.
The Totems
tattoos were integral to Indigenous people’s heritage and spiritual connection, marking essential rites of passage such as their first menstruation period or marriage. Still, , these sacred practices were forbidden during Western colonization, and this tradition was lost.
Recently, however, this tradition is experiencing a revival. In a TikTok video shared by Inuit singer and activist Shina Novalinga and her mother in honor of their Inuit heritage, both got traditional face tattoos – garnering over 12 million views!
Facial tattoo designs often take inspiration from an individual’s totem animal; wolves are typically associated with strength and power, while an eagle symbolizes friendship, love, and respect. No matter its design, however, a facial tattoo serves more than simply decorative body art; it marks identity and reinstates traditional practices.
The Rites of Passage
Native American tribes relied on tattooing as a mark of cultural passage – from coming-of-age ceremonies, initiation into adulthood, marriage, and even death – that helped foster identity and community connections.
European settlers pushed Indigenous communities off their land, forcing many traditional practices – face tattoos – into extinction. Language, food, and other cultural markers became casualties.
As more people realize the healing powers of traditional markings, more are taking steps to reclaim them. TikTok star Shina Novalinga and model Quannah Chasinghorse proudly wear traditional facial tattoos that symbolize their heritage.
Rite of passage are often emotionally wrenching experiences that help prepare individuals for new roles in life. Examples may include learning a foreign language, experiencing a painful breakup, or grieving the loss of a parent; they could also involve physical changes like hair removal or nose cutting.
The Meanings
Though some individuals might struggle to grasp the meaning behind Native American face tattoos fully, the practice continues. Tribes who practice this ancient tradition use it to commemorate milestones like rites of passage or celebrate achievements and pay homage to spiritual beliefs.
The design of face tattoos may differ depending on which First Nation, Inuit, or Metis group one belongs to; nonetheless, some facial markings are easily recognizable. Facial tattoos often signal that girls have entered womanhood; as Gwich’in mother and TikToker Shina Novalinga shows in her viral video, Gwich’in girls traditionally get Yidiiltoo between 12-14.
Chasinghorse brings Indigenous traditions into the limelight in her unique manner, which we hope more people respect and celebrate as face tattoos become increasingly fashionable.
