The art of tattooing and piercing was integral to Northwest Indigenous ceremony and social rank before 1885, when the government of Canada imposed The Potlatch Ban.
Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest opens today at the Bill Reid Gallery where until January 13, 2019, visitors will be able to see how the traditions re-emerged after the ban was lifted in 1951.
Five different communities along B.C.’s coast up to Alaska are represented through the different artists: Nakkita Trimble (Nisga’a); Nahaan (Tlingit); Corey Bulpitt (Haida); Dean Hunt (Heiltsuk) and guest curator Dion Kaszas (Nlaka’pamux).
“I hope that people understand that we don’t take tatooing lightly," says Trimble, whose Nisga’a name translates to "Speaking Through Art."
“It’s not just artwork, it’s identity and lineage.”
Her work in the gallery consists of three house crest tattoos, which she explains are tied by maternal blood lines to symbolize hereditary right to Indigenous lands: hunting, fishing, gathering and harvesting.
“I tattoo for my great grandmother, grandmother, mother and daughter, who will turn one next week” Trimble says, adding that she wouldn’t be able to do her work without the support of her husband and community.
She will also have a more contemporary piece on display, which examines a woman’s traditional name being tattooed on her chest, and how it is the first thing people see when they meet her.
She and the other artists began working individually to revive their own indigenous tattoo traditions before coming together to create this gallery.
“We were practicing on our selves, we didn’t have schools or people teaching us, we were building the ground work for each other,” says Trimble.
The tattoo traditions on display include: hand-poking, where a needle is dipped into ink before pricking designs into the skin; skin stitching, where prior to contact thread is dipped in ink to create a mark when woven into the skin; and scarification, where a small scalpel cuts into the skin before ink is brushed into the wound.
“I hope that whoever comes to the gallery can tune in and connect to one or all of the artists and pass along our education in some form so our culture continues to grow.”
Artist bios:
Nakkita Trimble (Nisga’a): Born and raised in Prince Rupert, BC, Trimble began her tattoo career in 2012 and progressed into reviving traditional coastal gihlee’e as a means to reawakening the Nisga’a tattooing art form in her nation.
Nahaan (Tlingit): Nahaan’s work reflects his teachings and cultural background. Practicing as a tattoo artist for more than five years, he focuses exclusively on working within the spirit and design style of Northern formline. As a carver, painter and designer he emulates the visual storytelling crafts so dear to his people of Southeast Alaska.
Corey Bulpitt (Haida): Bulpitt is the great-great-grandson of renowned artists Charles Edenshaaw and Louis Collison. He is known internationally for his fusion of hip-hop culture and Haida traditional style in large-scale spray painted pieces. He has created work for the National Gallery of Canada, Facebook Head Office in Seattle, and the Vancouver Mural Festival.
Dean Hunt (Heiltsuk): Visual Artist, Traditional Tattoo Practitioner and Music Producer from Waglisla (Bella Bella), Hunt underwent a formal five-year apprenticeship with his father Bradley Hunt and older brother Shawn Hunt, where he learned the skills of Heiltsuk carving and design.
