Written in Ink: Haida Two & Kanji

Piece: A Haida Wolf and Two Kanji Characters

Location:Right Shoulder/Arm

It's been a while since I've posted about my ink, but there's no time like th epresent to get things rolling... another tattoo, of a style I particularly like, is the second of two pieces I have that is representative of the Haida tradition of artwork. In order to give credit to the cultures from which the pieces originate, first a little review:

As previously mentioned here, the Haida are a Native American people inhabiting the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia, Canada, and Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. Most Haida objects are decorated with crests--figures of animals, birds, sea creatures and mythic beings -- that immediately identify the moiety (Raven or Eagle) and often the lineage of the owner (Info from Civilization.ca.

Kanji characters, often referred to as "Japanese" or "Chinese" characters, are probably the most common "first time" tattoos. They are popular becuase they are percieved as an exotic and unique way to convey a message about yourself.

These three pieces, which together represent a very basic sleeve, were all completed at different times. The first to be done were the two kanji characters. The Haida wolf was added to complete the series and to create a symmetry with my other arm which also features a Haida totem (see Written in Ink: Haida 1).

Some of these crests such as the Mountain Goat, the Wolf and the Grizzly are of animals that do not occur on Haida Gwaii; their use was transferred from Tsimshian chiefs on the mainland (info is again from Civilization.ca). While there is no "definition" as to what the Haida Wolf "represents," I selected it as a metaphor for family, or, "pack." The "pack" of which I belong to is (or was at the time) my nuclear family.

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!