Tattoos and War Paint

Season 6 • Episode 1

Chickasaw Culture Keepers

For centuries, Chickasaws have been ornamenting their bodies with tattoos and war paint, the cultural significance of which was at risk of being lost. However, with the help of historical records and researchers like Ladonna Brown and Dustin Mater, modern Chickasaws can learn more about their ancestors' traditions.

"Because it happened so long ago, we can't really say for certain what tattooing and body art really meant, but these are some things that we do know that has been handed down through the generations," Ladonna says. It's understood by scholars that different designs and details perhaps signified the status, clan affiliation or even personal style of the individual receiving the tattoo or war paint. For example, "Warriors would be wearing the woodpecker as a symbol of protection or good luck, invoking that spirit of tenacity and willpower," says Dustin. From woodpecker eyes to the designs of movement, water, the sun circle, four directions and more, every color and smallest detail of these ornaments retains meaning and is placed with a specific intention.

Creating these tattoos in ancient times required finding nearby tools and materials, specifically garfish teeth and yellow ash cedar. "We were also known to use needles like turkey spur and even bone," Dustin explains.

Artists today look toward the past for knowledge and inspiration that will inform their new artwork. "These are like love notes in a bottle that our ancestors left us, these shell carvings, petroglyphs, these underworld caves that we're rediscovering," shares Dustin. "While [today's artists] are reinforcing our cultural identity, they’re also bringing our cultural identity and establishing it into the modern day. It's a legacy that our ancestors left us with and it's a legacy that our artists today are developing on their own accord," says Ladonna.

As Ladonna and Dustin look toward the future, they're filled with feelings of hope and excitement. Ladonna says, "The Chickasaw Nation cultural identity is flourishing and it's thriving and it's going to go into the future."

EPISODES

3m 30s

Tattoos and War Paint

EPISODES

Pottery

Stickball Sticks

Beading

Regalia

Metalsmithing

Shell Carving

Weaving

Horticulture

Baskets

Traditional Foods

Quilting

Flutes

Beaded Collars

Drum Making

Storytelling

Bow Making

Brent Greenwood Art

Beaded Jewelry

Flint Knapping

Stomp Dancing

Beadwork

Turkey Calls

Traditional Stories: How Day and Night Were Divided

Woodturning

Bead Artisan

Textile Art

Quilt Making

Jewelry

The Legacy of Bow Making

Bead Artistry

Painting

Woven Mats

Metalworking

Photography

Pashofa

Deer Toe Shakers

Stickball Sticks

Shell Carving

Medicine Bags

Natural Dyes

Twinning

Bladesmithing

Fish Nets

Porcupine Quillwork

Pottery Burnishing

Shell Carving

Duck Decoys

Traditional Arrows

Fine Gourd Art

Traditional Flutes

Turtle Pottery

Turtle Shell Shakers

Pucker Toe Moccasins

Chunkey

Tattoos and War Paint

Leggings and Breechcloths