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Beyond the ArtThe Stories that Bind Us Author: KOSU
BEYOND THE ART is hosted by Cray Bauxmont-Flynn who strives to highlight a diversity of roles and voices across the Native American art world, from artists to museum directors and everyone in between. Language: en Genres: Arts, Design, Visual Arts Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Ink and Identity: Dr. Lars Krutak on Indigenous Tattooing as Cultural Survival
Episode 4
Wednesday, 25 February, 2026
In this powerful episode of Beyond the Arts, we sit down with Dr. Lars Krutak, known globally as "the tattoo anthropologist," to explore the profound world of indigenous tattooing traditions. For nearly 30 years, Lars has traveled to over 50 countries, working with 50-60 indigenous communities to document tattooing practices that are rapidly disappearing. His journey began in 1996 in Alaska, where he encountered a Gwich'in elder with traditional chin tattoos, sparking a lifelong mission to preserve these visual narratives before they vanish forever.Lars shares incredible stories from his fieldwork, from the St. Lawrence Island Yupik elders who taught him that tattoos are "life stories on skin" to the medicinal tattoos in Borneo that mirror techniques used by the 5,000-year-old Iceman. He discusses the devastating impact of colonization and boarding schools on tattooing traditions, and how contemporary indigenous communities are reclaiming these practices as acts of healing and cultural resurgence. Lars emphasizes the ethical dimensions of his work, always prioritizing community consent, giving back resources, and centering indigenous voices in his publications.This conversation goes far beyond aesthetics to reveal how tattoos function as medicine, cosmology, historical records, and declarations of indigenous identity. Lars's latest book, Indigenous Tattoo Traditions, published by Princeton University Press in 2025, represents decades of collaboration with tattooed elders and their communities. Whether you're interested in anthropology, indigenous cultures, art history, or the healing power of cultural reclamation, this episode offers profound insights into traditions that deserve recognition as vital contributions to human heritage.
