A collection of hundreds of documentary photographs
Client/collaborator: Holly Nordlum
With support from: Anchorage Museum, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Rasmuson Foundation
This ongoing project unfolds in episodes and in collaboration with tattoo artist Holly Mititquq Nordlum. Since 2016, I have traveled with Holly to various parts of Alaska and Hawai'i to document Indigenous hand-poking, skin stitching, hand tapping, and other forms of marking on the body related to what is often referred to as tattoo. Indigenous traditions of marking the body have been threatened by colonial forces; the survival of these practices is therefore very significant.
Over periods of days and weeks, I have been honored to bring my camera into the space of healing. In support of this Indigenous-led project, the photographs are meant to reclaim visibility and legitimacy of Indigenous body marking. It is my hope that the images can communicate the artistic, personal, spiritual, and healing virtues of this important cultural practice.
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