Why getting her first tattoo is so meaningful for this 74-year-old Inuit elder

Mary Kudlak just got her first kakiniit, or Inuit tattoo, and she did it at the age of 74. It's clear that both the tattoo and the process hold great value to her. So why is this only happening now?

The tradition of kakiniit in Inuit culture all but disappeared in the past few decades. The tattoos on various parts of the body, including the face, represent family, culture and community, and the practice was erased by the effects of colonialism. Artist — and tattoo artist — Hovak Johnston was devastated when she first heard that the custom was about to literally die out with the passing of the last woman with traditional tattoos. She says, "I was so heartbroken. I was like, 'This is the last woman, last Inuk woman to have tattoos, passing away. It's going to be another part of our history that's going to be lost, or something that we only learn about in history books. It can't happen. We need to do something about it.'"

So Johnston founded the Inuit Tattoo Revitalization Project. The organization has now tattooed over 80 women and is continuing to work to revive the art form. And that's how Kudlak ended up getting her first tattoo at the age of 74.

In this video, we get to sit in on the process. It's an emotional one — Johnston says, "To actually do it on her was so powerful and it took me all my strength to keep focused. And after it was done, we just broke down crying."

Find out more about the Inuit Tattoo Revitalization Project here. 

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