Collection search - [Elderly Inuk woman with her hair down]. Original title: Old native woman Eskimo, heavily tattooed but does not photograph

The caption of this record has not yet been revised through Project Naming.
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Historically, all Inuit women received tattoos as a rite of passage. They were most often on the face and hands but could also be on the arms, legs, and/or chest. During the early 1900's camera's were becoming more accessible and more people were travelling more to the arctic. These visitors often photographed Inuit women and subsequently, their tattoos. Sometimes the photographers traced already existing tattoos or painted the women's faces with designs of other regions. Sometimes it appears they tried to cover the tattoos with make-up (rouge) or erase them during the printing process in the darkroom. As a result, the tattoo designs shown here may not be representative of the woman or her region.

Title assigned by Library and Archives Canada.

Northwest Territories album, album 10, page 76

Old native woman eskimo, heavily tattooed but does not photograph

Album 10