-(Stacey): It's a hard place to grow up, Regina, if you're Indigenous.

There's a lot of racism in the city.

Tattooing heals me by giving me that connection back to another human being in my community and it heals them.

And then that, in turn, heals their families.

And that's how it blossoms out.

Tattooing has made me better and more empathetic and more caring.

(theme music) ♪♪♪ (soft music) -(narrator): Saskatchewan is known for its Indigenous presence, with over 70 different Nations spread out across the prairies and five different linguistic groups including Cree, Dakota, Dene, Nakota, Saulteaux and Métis.

Stacey was proudly raised Métis but it was clear to her at a young age that life in Regina was hard as an Indigenous person.

In spite of that, Stacey found ways to embrace the beauty of her culture.

One of those ways is sharing good memories of her childhood with her daughter Lilla.

-We came this way almost every day because we didn't have a car growing up.

We'd walk up this hill and... through the fence.

But you can see the path goes all the way and then across the highway, and then there's more path.

We'd go all that way to go shopping or anything.

But we would walk this way to get some, some nature time and play out in the wilderness.

My grandparents, they were roadside allowance people.

They didn't have anything else.

So, they would take us walking here.

My parents always felt like it was important to teach us about the outdoors and about nature and animals.

It was a beautiful place to come.

-(narrator): Not all memories on this block are beautiful.

Stacey is reminded of some of the hardest moments of her childhood.

But even the hard times have helped shape the woman she is today and have guided her toward her life's purpose.

-(Stacey): When I went to tattoo school, I got a couple of students to tattoo my shoulders.

It's a traditional flower bud, but they kind of took that and designed their own and put it on my shoulders.

And then two of my teachers did the same on my back shoulders.

The finger ones that I did, they represent the prairie, the flat prairie and like, one person standing.

Right?

But when I bring them together, it's like four people.

Right?

So to me, when I lost my dad, like, I lost... he was my connection to community.

He was like the charismatic man that walked down the street and knew every Indigenous person out there.

Right?

And so to me, I look down at my fingers, when I'm feeling alone, and I bring them together and I'm like, my dad's still with me.

And this tradition has brought my people back to me, brought me something that I could give to them.

So I did this flower tattoo on my neck, in the mirror over time.

Anytime I look at myself in the mirror with it, it looks like it was always there.

And I've never felt so beautiful.

And I have one on my neck from one of my teachers as well.

And so those tattoos lift me up, you know.

I walk proud.

They give me strength.

I walk through the world with those people holding me up.

And then this is the second one I did.

-(narrator): Stacey quickly became someone the surrounding communities sought out for her part in the revitalization of hand poke and skin stitch tattoo.

-Nina got in touch with me through Facebook.

She just said that she heard about me and she was wondering if I would do a tattoo for her.

What kind of tattoo are you looking for?

-You know the chin, the chin lines.

-With my dad gone, to have an elder trust me to give her that, it's just so empowering and it just makes my heart feel warm and happy.

And when I got back from tattoo school, my sister wanted her chin tattoo.

To come now and get that is so moving and such an inspiration for all of us younger women taking that back.

-I don't think meanings ever go away.

I think they just go to sleep for a while and they just rest, and then they come back.

And right now, everyone's really awake.

(soft music) -About that far apart?

-Yeah.

♪♪♪ The tattoo that I'm going for on my chin is one where I can, like, always remember why I'm speaking and it's for... truth, basically, and just to remember that there's other people that I can impact.

I've lived through a lot of violence, a lot of trauma, and I think, in general, all our people have.

These tattoos mean that this is more than just body autonomy.

This is taking back way more than, than just that, this is bringing something back that was basically stolen.

And for me, that's... it feels like home.

-(Stacey): I already had a list of people who needed tattoos.

But she messaged me and I could tell from the message, I just could tell in my heart that it was tattoo emergency and she really needed this right now.

-It looks nice on you.

-Thank you.

I love it.

♪♪♪ -(narrator): Sometimes, facing one's past builds the strength needed to move into the future.

Stacey knew that getting a hold of her anger was key to her happiness.

-It's a hard place to grow up, Regina, if you're Indigenous.

I saw it growing up.

My dad struggled with alcoholism and I knew from a young age that that was the reason.

You know, I saw that a lot.

My dad was beaten up by the cops when I was growing up.

And I could feel that racism right from the get-go, you know, at my school and on our street.

The only Indigenous families would have been the families that were renting, low-income.

And the neighbours always made sure we felt that, you know, as "less than", you know... not homeowners.

And racism is just accepted here.

How could I judge my dad for drinking?

When he had such a hard time, you know.

His drinking had just taken over his whole life.

He tried to commit suicide a lot when I was growing up.

So my dad would go on a drinking binge and sometimes disappear for a couple of days.

And we knew when he came back, it was going to be bad.

Me and my sister knew we had to hide the knives.

So, we went through the house and tried to hide all the knives in a cupboard.

And we missed one and he took it into the bathroom and he slit his wrists really bad.

So, I ran out in the hall and I peeked in and all I saw was blood.

We went to stay with my grandma, with his mom that night, and then Monday morning we went to school!

And I can remember being in the playground though that day and looking at the clouds and just thinking this isn't something that other kids have to deal with.

People think you come from a trauma experience at home that, like, there's got to be a bad guy, you know?

And I always want people to know that the bad guy was racism and colonialism and Canada, to me.

That was the bad guy.

Canada killed my dad.

-(women): Five, six, seven, eight and right.

-(Stacey): I had always loved to dance, but we couldn't afford dance lessons when I was a kid.

And I thought I'm an adult, I'm going to get some dance lessons.

-So let's start the choreography for today.

Ready?

-Yep.

(instrumental music) -Across.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ -(Stacey): When Lilla was born, I was about 29.

I looked down at my little baby and I thought I have to find a way out of this grief and find a way of hope and future for her.

I have to smile in front of her, so she learns about happiness, so she learns how to laugh.

I'm her mom.

I don't want to be a sad mom.

I wasn't worried about the future and I wasn't regretful of the past.

I was in the moment.

(laughing) I think anytime you dance with anybody, of course, you like connect with them.

Because you have to lose some inhibitions, right?

You're gonna be shy and everything.

And so when you do that with your daughter and you show her that you can mess up and be silly, it gives her permission to fall and it gives her permission to talk to me about those things.

Right?

You know, have an open dialogue about it.

And have fun together, you know, just like laughing together.

That's what creates human bonds.

Here's the blankets I've been working on.

This is grandma Doris's blanket.

Your great-grandma, I guess.

So it has her, like, dates on it, where she was born.

And her last name was Anaquod before she got married.

So I think it's nice to make these blankets and have a little story about each person so that when you have them, you have some of my memories.

Yeah, so let's... let me unfold the other one and we'll work on that.

We were raised really proudly Métis, my dad was very strong about that.

Grandpa was a Métis trapper, and they were roadside allowance people.

So they lived on the side of the road, just past Katepwa Lake, near Lebret.

After the resistance at Batoche, they kind of had to disperse and a lot of them had to hide.

Of course, a lot of them didn't have any means of making money.

They didn't, they weren't part of the treaties, so they didn't have a reserve.

So, a lot of them would just set up on the roadside allowance.

Métis people would build little cottages there and live there, basically squat on the side of the road.

And, but like, also build up community there.

Right?

The Métis were a problem the government didn't know how to get rid of.

And they were persistent.

♪♪♪ -(narrator): Chasity, who has already created a strong bond with Stacey, has invited her over this morning to go over the concept for a second tattoo.

One step further in her healing journey.

-Hi, come on in.

Door's open.

-How are you?

-Good!

-You can have a seat and I'll be right there.

-(narrator): Months prior, Stacey gifted both Chasity and her daughter with tattoos of their names.

-I was so proud to have someone from Treaty 4 territory learn that art and to bring that back.

And at that time, I... struggling with so much emotional... trauma, emotional abuse that I've gone through and so much pain and just felt like I couldn't do it anymore.

And so I reached out to her and I said: "Hey, I see that you're doing amazing things and I could really use some help right now.

I'm losing myself.

I want my name.

On my body."

-And then it was the day I did yours that you guys asked if I would do Jayda's, right?

-Jayda as well, yeah.

-And even though I can't see it, it holds me up.

-I know you have ideas about what you want already so... I'm going to start a page for you on here.

Do you have an idea of where you want it on your body?

Do you want to see it or do you want other people to see it or do you want to keep it more private?

-I think I need some help deciding where I want the tattoo, like, have some ideas.

-Do you have ideas of what it's for?

-The tattoo is going to represent my spirit name.

My name that was given to me as a young adult.

In our ways, our traditional ways, we're taught to use our names when we pray.

-Your spirit name is?

-Piyêsiw Iskwêw.

-Okay.

-The Thunderbird woman.

That's what I want represented on my body.

I do need that daily reminder of the strength in my name and the power that it holds and represents who I am as a Nehiyaw woman.

♪♪♪ -So, we had talked about two very important parts of her tattoo and there were gonna be a circle and a Thunderbird.

The circle kind of represents her circle, her community, and her protecting, and the work that she does, um, is kind of represented in that circle and related to the wings of the Thunderbird.

And then she wanted a heart in the center as well.

The hand-poked will be the Thunderbird part and then the stitched will be the circle.

So, a poke tattoo will be a lot sharper and a lot, like, the colour is more vibrant.

And a stitched tattoo is more cloudy and it kind of is softer.

In terms of my practice, I really enjoy doing tattoos that have both.

They look entirely different.

The finished product, once they are healed.

So doing them together really looks amazing and beautiful.

-(narrator): Stacey and Chasity drive out to George First Nation, where they are greeted by Chasity's long-time friends.

The Longman family is a family she turns to for prayer.

She believes asking her ancestors for guidance at this time is key to the process of receiving Stacey's gift.

-This is Stacey.

-Stacey, I'm George.

Thanks for having us come out here.

So, I'm hoping to learn a little bit from you.

Tomorrow, my friend Stacey is going to tattoo my body with my namesake.

-In our culture, we feed our ancestors because, in our culture, we all have that spirit in us.

Our tattoo has a lot of history behind it.

It's a great buffalo tattoo.

It's the seven teachings in our culture.

And that's very, very... Like for us, it's really, really beautiful to have this tattoo.

-As I think about the process and the things that you've taught me over the past couple years, I feel like almost it's a little bit of a... The pain is a little bit of a sacrifice.

-And you're doing the tattoo?

-Yeah.

I've been trained in traditional tattooing, the hand poke style and the skin stitch style.

And part of my training was the technique, but also, how to help reawaken tattooing.

And a big part of that is bringing it back in a healthy and good way.

-Yeah.

-And I'm scared, I'm nervous.

But I knew that feeding my namesake first would be the first step.

And you taught me that.

-Don't worry about it, you'll be okay.

You know, you're feeding your spirit name and it's important that you're doing that.

And when we help people, they become a part of our lives.

-Everybody look at the big camera.

(laughter) ♪♪♪ -(narrator): Sharing in ceremony is a means of connecting with others.

It is a safe place to let go of things that no longer serve us.

Through this experience, Stacey will be creating a bond not only with Chasity but also with the Longman Family who will help guide her in prayer and in life moving forward.

(traditional singing) The time has come.

Everything has led to this moment.

It's the beginning of something truly sacred, and so meaningful for everyone involved.

-We're mostly set up and ready to smudge.

-I'd like to pray to my spirit name, Piyêsiw Iskwêw, and ask that it should be a part of this with me.

Thank you for the blessings of Stacey and for my daughter Jayda, for being a part of the learning process.

-We talked about putting it on your arm or on your chest or on your back.

-I think that I, that I need to see it.

And I think that it'll have more meaning maybe on my chest.

What do you think?

-You should put on your chest.

-I think so.

-So you can see it every day.

-I think you deserve that spot and you'll be able to see it and remind yourself that you're a warrior.

-Thank you.

What do you think?

-I think it looks pretty good.

-(Stacey): Tattooing has made me better and better and more empathetic and more caring.

It has brought me so much love and self-worth.

-(Chasity): I'm still the only one in my immediate family who carry our ways.

In 2015, they confirmed that my mom had stage four bladder cancer, that she doesn't have very much time.

I believe they said like three to six months.

So, you go from thinking that you're gonna have your mom forever, to there now being a time.

And because it was stage four, there's not much that can be done at that point, they said.

That was on her birthday.

"Don't cry, my girl", she said.

"This is a part of life.

This is the part of the circle."

She took her last breath, with my dad and I was sitting on the bed with her.

I watched her body go from pain... to beauty and angelic and no more suffering.

And that took the tears away.

Definitely have to be honest.

It's, it hurts a lot.

With each stitch and each pain, I would send that prayer through that sacrifice of that pain.

(traditional singing) (moaning of pain) (traditional singing) There is so much spirituality and ceremony put into this and a lot of explanation.

So, I was ready, like, I was ready for this and it came at a great time.

(traditional singing) (sigh) Holy cow.

That's, like... perfect.

(soft, happy laugh) I love it.

-(Stacey): I'm so proud.

I'm so proud.

Tattooing heals me by giving me that connection back to another human being in my community and it heals them.

And then that in turn heals their families and it grows out like that.

-Definitely a feeling of pride and gratitude that I'll have a daily reminder of my name, the power in my name and the way that it will carry me through future, hard times, tribulations, trauma.

It's like I can already feel the power and the strength, just knowing that it's there.

-Yeah.

-If this doesn't make me a warrior, I don't know what will.

-I never, like, thought of having a calling, but tattooing, it just seems like it was meant to be for me and for my art.

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