Permanent Markings: Indigenous Tattooing and the Stories They Carry, a Talk with Miciah Stasis Harding

About this event

Miciah Stasis Harding, a traditional tattoo practitioner of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe from what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts dives into the history of tattooing among Northeastern Indigenous peoples, exploring evolving practices and the process behind creating our sacred markings. My hope is to create a deeper understanding of these traditions and the meaning they carry, while using them to connect us together. Miciah is working to revitalize her people’s traditional tattooing practices. Her journey has taken her through archives, historical research, and travels to sister communities and Nations throughout Turtle Island, learning from the knowledge that has been carried forward. For her, traditional tattooing is more than putting markings on the body. It is a way of bringing back ceremony, medicine, storytelling, language, and connection to her people. It is about remembering who we are and reconnecting with the traditions that colonization tried to take from us. She hopes to help her people reclaim these markings, the stories they carry, and the jurisdiction Indigenous people have over their own bodies. Lecture followed by audience Q&A. Optional interactive elements accompany lecture. Free. Registration recommended.