Article
Once you hear Maya Sialuk Jacobsen talk, you will never forget it. She has a certain energy and passion that completely captures your attention. And further, she might just be one of the most knowledgeable people, when it comes to Inuit tattoos.
Even though Inuit tattoos might sound like a narrow field, it is not. It touches upon ancient Inuit culture, Inuit Spiritism, women’s role in society, migration and much more. And the most interesting thing about it is, that all of these aspects are rarely touched upon – especially in a danish context. So once Mahela and Emilie heard Maya Sialuk Jacobsen talk about the history of Inuit Tattoos, they decided that they wanted to dedicate their action project to spreading her words and stories.
“There is a lack of knowledge about Danish colonial history and how detrimental it has been and still is to traditional Inuit culture and practices. By spreading awareness we hope to contribute positively to this.“
Therefore Mahela and Emilie contacted Maya Sialuk Jacobsen, in hopes of creating a podcast series where she could share more on this topic. Maya agreed to do the podcast, and the two senior fellows went to visit her in Greenland and conduct interviews and create the podcast.
Maya Sialuk Jacobsen is a traditional Inuit tattoo artist and a researcher – her methods enforces one another. And additionally, and very important for the purpose, she is a storyteller. Maya Sialuk Jacobsen is able to enlighten the podcast listener on the historical background of Inuit tattoos, culture and spiritism, she combines the facts with the art of tattooing and then she is able to tell the ancient Greenlandic myths related to the Inuit tattoos.
The podcast was created in cooperation with Københavns Kommune, Nørrebro Lokaludvalg and was published in cooperation with RESPONS media, and is available on their website, by clicking here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.