This is the regalia they can’t take away from me.”

During Celebration 2026 in Juneau, we spoke with community members about the traditional tattoos they carry and the stories behind them. While each design was unique, the conversations revealed something much larger than the artwork itself.

We expected to hear stories about the designs, the artists, and the settings.

Instead, we heard about family, journeys, culture, identity, and belonging.

A canoe journey shared between brothers. Traditional games that shaped a life. Reconnecting to culture and carrying those teachings forward. Pride, resilience, and the importance of being able to wear who you are every day.

We heard reflections on mothers and grandmothers, the generations who came before us, and those still to come.

At the heart of every conversation was a deep connection to the people, places, and teachings that help shape who we are. We heard pride in being able to wear culture openly and unapologetically, as Nang K’adangáas Eric Hamar shared.

“To kidáagang (have tattoos) in the modern age means to be unashamed, unafraid and unwilling to hide who we are as Indigenous people,” Nang K’adangáas said.

No two tattoos hold the same meaning but each conveys something deeply personal: a reminder of where they come from, who they are and what they hold close.

For many, these tattoos are living expressions of family, community and culture. They carry stories forward, connecting the past, present and future in a way that can be worn every day.

A visible reminder that our stories, teachings and identities continue to live on through the people who bear them, the families who share them and the future generations that follow.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.