But this sacred rite of passage was vilified during western colonialism across North America, where many Indigenous cultural practices were banned. This included their artwork, language, jewelry, fashion, music and tattoos.
Columbus Day:Celebrating cultural heritage, or the colonization of Native Americans?
"All these things were taken away from us: Not just tattoos but also our way of life, how we raise children, how we educate our children, how we lived our lives back then. All these things were taken away and we had no more voice," Kyak says.
The past has colored how people view face tattoos today, Big Eagle says.
"Face tattoos served a dual purpose in many Indigenous cultures of beautification. In other words, they enhanced the beauty of those who wore them," Big Eagle notes. "But instead of being recognized as sacred and telling our stories, they've been twisted into markings that make us unemployable or delinquents or less-than."
'My tattoos are my identity.'
Recently, many Indigenous people are reclaiming the tattooing tradition that was almost "wiped away by western colonization."
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