In this episode, I reconnect with Greenlandic tattooer and researcher, Maya Sialuk Jacobsen. We talk, among other things, about the challenges of writing for The Oxford Handbook of The Archaeology and The Anthropology of Body Modification (phew!) and her experience doing the first full chin tattoo on an Greenlandic Inuk woman in Greenland in 250 years.
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Maya Sialuk Jacobsen is a tattooist and independent researcher from Greenland, living between Svendborg and Nuuk.
In 2010, Maya established the groundbreaking "Inuit Tattoo Traditions" project, devoted to preserving and honouring the rich cultural heritage of Inuit tattooing across Greenland, Canada, and Alaska.
Through collaborations with institutions like the Anchorage Museum and Nunatta Katersugaasivia (Greenland National Museum), Maya has trained several women from Inuit communities in the art and significance of traditional Inuit tattooing.
Beyond that, Maya actively engages in scholarly discourse and advocates for policy changes, particularly focusing on Denmark's regulations regarding facial tattoos and championing the affirmation of cultural identity through tattooing.
With a research journey spanning well beyond a decade, Maya is dedicated to meticulously documenting and contextualizing Inuit tattoo patterns, shedding light on their profound cultural meanings and weaving them into the fabric of Inuit life and tradition.
For more information on Maya’s research, please see below:
Examining the physical signatures of pre-electric tattooing tools and techniques.
The Vessel Magazine - Issue 7
Transforming Bodies. Inuit Tattoo Traditions And The Complexities Of A Revival