There are many photo essay books written by academic non-Indigenous people about historical Indigenous tattooing traditions. Truly Tribal: Contemporary Indigenous Tattooing is the first book in which Indigenous tattooing practitioners speak for themselves about their contemporary practices. Challenging the anthropologist gaze that relegates Indigenous tattooing practices to a historical past, Nlaka'pamux ancestral skin marker Dion Kaszas, Mi’kmaw mask maker tattoo artist Gordon Sparks, and Tohono Oʼodham painter and tattooist Missy Dunn-Mahan and their 15 fellow practitioners assert that Indigenous tattooing traditions are of contemporary importance to Indigenous Nations around the world today.
Join us for a conversation between Nlaka'pamux ancestral skin marker Dion Kaszas, Missy Dunn-Mahan, and Gordon Sparks as they celebrate the launch of Truly Tribal: Contemporary Indigenous Tattooing and discuss the importance of reclaiming Indigenous tattooing.
To see a preview of the collection click here.
