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EXHIBITION RESPONSE by Holly Aubichon

A story to bring home

I am a member of the traditional Indigenous tattoo revival alongside traditional practitioners, such as Sheri Nault and Amy Malbeuf. Our teachings and protocols were passed down through peer mentorship with the Earthline Collective.[1] My tattoo mentor, Stacey Fayant, trained with Earthline and instilled in me the importance of relational teachings as a foundation for our tattoo work. I use an ancestral method of tattooing – skin-stitching, as a form of care for community members. Specifically, for those seeking a tattoo to mark their progress of grieving: death and major life changes.

This revival is both an act of resistance and a path of healing, addressing the aftermath effects of Canada’s violent attempts to assimilate Indigenous peoples. The legacy of forced separation from ancestral land teachings has caused unforgettable harm, but through tattooing, we seek to reclaim and restore the relational knowledge that sustains our communities. Each member of this movement brings their unique areas of focused care to the practice, guided by protocols that honour ancestral wisdom. These teachings emphasize living in good relation—caring for oneself and others, including all kin: human, land, and spirit.

Rooted in Indigenous worldviews, tattooing practices transcend our present moment. They often unfold as ongoing teachings for the wearer, revealing deeper meanings over time. This gradual process invites you to take care, through ceremony, and reflection. The storied artworks in this group exhibition embody these principles of care and relationality, offering a space where personal and collective bonds are celebrated and cared for.

In Stories, is a collage of thermal stencil paper, replicating tattoo drawings done by Tristen Sanderson. The collage is completed with a large painted figure of a wolf, moon and a star centered in the forefront. The hybrid of the painted design and tattoo designs, reflects to me, the self, and the self in relation to others as the movement of returning to relational knowledge and ancestral wisdom. The drawings printed onto thermal stencil paper and cut into shapes that flow with each design, alludes to each wearer and the knowledge they carry.

Both Nault and Malbeuf reflect processes of practicing relational knowledge exchange through: contemplative and intuitive actions in hands-on making. Their movements are circular and fluid. Through movement and repetition, they care for their relations, and themselves, engaging non-human kin in their daily practices.

Asii llnagaay hla glaayii isda (which the artist generously translated to English from Haida/ Xaad Kil language), meaning “Give this place peace/calm”, Davidson’s drawings are accompanied by personal belongings that typically hang on the walls of their tattoo studio. Both belongings and drawings encircle a central figure – a Haida elder adorned with cultural tattoos, who gestures at sacred knowledge they uphold. Taking care of their urban environment, Davidson connects their space and themselves with traditional knowledge and then innovates playful, urban ways to relate. My painting mentor – also Indigenous, maintains a studio refrigerator full of Coke-Zero’s. It makes sense to me, as an urban Indigenous person, why there is a framed drawing of Canada Dry Ginger Ale hung beside traditional medicines.

Indigenous tattoo symbols, motifs, techniques, and designs are evolving the ways for people to recognize and connect with one another. Much like the ancestral practices of beadwork, quillwork, tufting, and embroidery, tattooing serves as a powerful form of identifying ourselves and others. These tattoos, in addition to enacting care, become markers of a possible shared experience, strengthening a sense of relationality, through the recognition of each other's tattooed stories.

Take Care shares how, for Indigenous people, relational stories are central in both traditional and contemporary tattoo practices. The artworks collectively demonstrate how these practices support healing, self-discovery, and care – braided together within an interconnected way of being.

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References

“The Earthline Tattoo Collective.” IOTA Institute, October 23, 2019. https://iotainstitute.com/the-earthline-tattoo-collective/.

[1] Founded Earthline Collective (2015-2021): Dion Kaszas, Amy Malbeuf, Jordan Bennett. https://iotainstitute.com/the-earthline-tattoo-collective/

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Holly Aubichon investigates topics of urban Indigeneity and how ancestral knowledge reaches urban Indigenous people through memories, land, and body. Her practice includes painting, tattooing, writing and curation. She identifies as Métis, Cree from her paternal side, and Ukrainian, Irish, and Scottish ancestry from her maternal side. Aubichon was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. Her Indigenous relations come from Green Lake, Meadow Lake and Lestock, SK. Aubichon’s practice is laboriously reliant on retracing familial memories and connections. Since July 1, 2021 as an extension of her practice she's a member in a traditional Indigenous tattoo mentorship with Stacey Fayant, alongside Geanna Dunbar and Jayda Delorme. Tattooing as a practice for Aubichon acknowledges the memories that familial bodies carry, kinship, and develops community care focusing on healing and processing grief alongside the revivalists of traditional tattoo methods.

Aubichon was the Artistic/Administrative Director for Sâkêwêwak Artists’ Collective from 2021 to 2023. Recently, she has returned to the University of Regina to pursue her MFA in painting, supervised by David Garneau and Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette.

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*Asii llnagaay hla glaayii isda, Destiny Davidson*

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News

Exhibition Response: A story to bring home, by Holly Aubichon