The revival of the Inuit face tattoo

Inuit facial tattoos have been forbidden for a century and are virtually forgotten. One hundred years ago, the ancient Inuit tradition was ubiquitous and almost all Inuit women proudly displayed their facial tattoos as a part of their identity. Writer and journalist, Ashleigh Gaul, explores what happened to the cultural practice and its controversial revival in Northern Canada.

“The biggest comment I heard listening to elders is that it’s bringing our ancestors back,” said Angela Hovak Johnston, one of the present-day Inuit women breaking taboos by reviving the traditional art of the facial tattoo.