Indiginous Tattoo History | With Lars Krutak

What do Catholic women in the Balkans, tattooed mummies in the Philippines, and Arctic medicinal ink have in common? They've all left their mark—literally and metaphorically—on the history of indigenous tattoo traditions. In this episode of For the Love of History, I sit down with renowned tattoo anthropologist Dr. Lars Krutak to explore his latest book: Indigenous Tattoo Traditions. We dive deep into the meaning, evolution, and resistance etched into skin across continents and centuries. 🖋️ From the sacred tattoos of Ainu women to anti-colonial Catholic ink in Bosnia 📸 From healing scars to lost libraries of tattooed skin 🔥 From cultural preservation to painful commodification This isn't just body art—it’s a global language of identity, resistance, and storytelling. 👉 TELL US your favorite tattoo story in the comments

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📖 Grab Lars’s new book, Indigenous Tattoo Traditions, via Princeton University Press

🎥 Treasure of the Rice Terraces, Ft Apo Whang Od - Official Teaser

🎤 Read Lars's interview with Princeton Press

📌 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro to Lars & Indigenous Tattoo Traditions 04:00 – Tattoo anthropology 101 08:00 – The search for tattooed Catholic grandmas in the Balkans 12:00 – Indigenous tattoos in Africa 18:00 – Sacred, therapeutic tattoos in Japan & the Arctic 23:00 – Cultural appropriation vs. cultural revival 28:00 – Tattooed skin at Oxford?! 😱 32:00 – Gender & tattooing: women as artists and recipients 35:00 – The legacy of Whang-Od and the Philippines’ tattoo revival 40:00 – Modern indigenous artists keeping traditions alive 45:00 – Lars’s wildest discoveries and why museums are sleeping on this history

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