Kerri Helme’stattoosgo far deeper than the layers of flesh a pigment-spiked needle made from turkey bone can pierce.
Rows of triangles adorn her neckline.
Tiny dots stretch from either corner of her eyes, sprinkling over her nose bridge.
Courtesy Kerry Helme
Sure, they’re aesthetic.
Traditional Native tattooing is another brick in the foundation of preserving these practices.
Sometimes, the ink represented a dream they had.
Courtesy Kerri Helme
These tattoos might have a spiritual significance to some, or they might just be decorative.
At the time, I was working with UMass Boston as a cultural resource monitor with the archeology department.
Through my research, we learned the tattoos were done in black and charcoal.
There are also illustrations and paintings of men with tattoos that survived.
At the museum, we really lead the charge in rejuvenating tattooing ceremonies and practices.
We figured it out through both trial and error as well as reliance on cultural artifacts.
I also consulted with Inuit women in Alaska who have preserved this practice and still do traditional face tattoos.
I’m always getting tips and pointers from them.
If you want to learn something, you approach your elders in a humble way.
I rely on community, tribal members, and experiences I have to continue learning.
We started experimenting on a small scale with thestick and pokemethod.
We found that the bird bone works the best because of its density.
We would usecoppersometimes, too.
I’ve got it down now I’ve been doing these stick and poke tattoos for about 15 years.
It’s a collective human experience to want to decorate your skin.
Prior to the 1970s, I think people just wanted to fit in standing out could be dangerous.
What were the images that our ancestors actually found important?
How did we pray?
What songs were we singing specifically?
There’s not too much information out there about our [style of] tattooing.
There was a forced discontinuation of our language, ceremony, and other traditions.
The more people that know how to [tattoo], the better.
It’s part of my responsibility to preserve and practice these things.
I’ve since left the plantation where I dedicated 19 years to learning, teaching and preserving my culture.
I am also gearing up for powwow season and we travel across the East Coast.
I see this happening with our younger people.
We’re the only people that are expected to be stuck in a certain period.
