After my post last week on the representation of facial tattooing in Inuit graphic art, I figured it would be appropriate to provide some historical photos of Inuit women with tattooing. These photos act as an invaluable record of an Inuit cultural practice that has since largely fallen out of favor as a result of missionary and colonial influences. Below you will find a selection of photos from the website of Library and Archives Canada alongside the titles given to the images on the website. By clicking the link beside the title you will be directed to the website which offers more contextual information on the image.

“Kila, a tattooed Inuit woman, from the Dolphin and Union Strait area, Coronation Gulf, N.W.T., [Nunavut], 1916. ” Via

“Ward aid Paulette Anerodluk looking after her own mother in St. Ann’s Hospital. Her mother, Eva Kokiloka, is tattooed in the traditional style.” Via

“Inuit woman with facial tattoos and braids.” Via

“Inuit woman with facial tattoos and braids.” Via

“Hilda Hipgogak at Charles Camsell Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta” Via

“This picture shows the tattooing of the different tribes.”