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Jana Angulalik’s journey to proudly wearing traditional Inuit tattoos
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Jana Angulalik’s journey to proudly wearing traditional Inuit tattoos

Introduction to Janna and Her Journey

Background and Early Life

  • Janna introduces herself as a tattoo artist from Cambridge Bay, sharing her experience of growing up in a challenging environment marked by the aftermath of residential schools.
  • She describes her childhood as difficult, involving poverty and time spent in foster care, highlighting the generational cycles of trauma within her family.

Personal Growth and Healing

  • Janna discusses how she has transformed her past experiences into tools for helping others, emphasizing her interest in traditional tattoos as part of this journey.
  • The emotional significance of getting a forehead tattoo is shared; it symbolizes pride in her identity as a woman and marks a pivotal moment in her healing process.

Cultural Identity and Community Response

Reactions to Tattoos

  • Janna recounts an early criticism from an elder regarding her tattoo, illustrating the generational divide on cultural expressions like tattoos.
  • Despite initial resistance, she notes that some elders have embraced tattoos themselves, indicating a shift in cultural acceptance within the community.

Embracing Inuit Identity

  • Janna reflects on her complex identity struggles due to mixed heritage but expresses joy at finally identifying proudly as an Inuit woman through traditional tattoos.
  • She celebrates the revitalization of cultural pride among youth today, marking it as a significant positive change.
Video description

This Ink Runs Deep features Indigenous tattoo artists across Canada who are reviving ancestral traditions that were taken away during colonization. Through the film, directed by Asia Youngman, we learn about the practices that were thought to be lost forever, and how their revival reflects a reawakening of Indigenous identity. »Subscribe to CBC Arts to watch more videos: http://bit.ly/CBCArtsSubscribe "I've been interested in traditional tattoos for a few years now and since then it's been a yearning to feel like I can wear them as well," says Jana Angulalik, a traditional Inuit tattoo artist from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. "It's been a journey — a journey to get there to be able to wear them proudly and confidently and without any shame." Find us at: http://cbc.ca/arts CBC Arts on Facebook: http://facebook.com/cbcarts CBC Arts on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cbcarts CBC Arts on Instagram: http://instagram.com/cbcarts About: Welcome to CBC Arts, your home for the most surprising, relevant and provocative stories featuring artists from diverse communities across Canada. Our job is to fill your feed with the disruptors and innovators changing how we see the country through movement, images and sound — and to inspire you to join in too.