Hola! I am a queer, BIPOC immigrant and a settler-accomplice living and working within the illegally occupied sovereign nation of Hawai'i. As an indigenous tattoo artist, my work centers around reconnecting to our ancestral roots, especially for those of us in diaspora. I believe tattoos are more than marks on the skin—they are sacred acts of storytelling, a way to honor our histories and lineages and they help us embody the journey toward becoming better ancestors. I use the term Ayni Tatu because in my quechua culture, Ayni means reciprocity and trust in right relationship, this is also why I offer a sliding scale and am open to some trade of your own cultural art practice.
My practice is deeply rooted in reverence for indigenous queerness, celebrating the fluidity and beauty that exists within our identities. Through visual storytelling, I aim to foster collective liberation and healing justice, creating art that not only adorns the body but also nourishes the soul.
The term "tattoo medicine" continues to be true (though heavily appropriated), because the ancestral markings we wear, are ultimately our daily reminders of how to walk this world in good ways for our communities and ourselves, as many generations before us, have. Therefore, invoking your ancestral roots in a tattoo ritual should come from a centered place, with intentionality, and with the understanding that you will be different after your ritual is complete, be prepared to sit with what comes up in ceremony.
Tattoos are acts of reclamation, resistance, and resilience. They are a bridge to our ancestors, a promise to future generations, and a testament to the power of connection. I invite you to share in this unique and special journey with me.
My intention is to help you further your connection with your ancestral culture, by facilitating conversation and research with you, to collaborate and create an image that you can wear on your body that empowers you to be your best self, looking back 7 generations. I believe that when we unlearn our own colonization, and wear the markings of our ancestors, we level up and show up in better ways that support our collective liberation.
This practice is spiritually rooted in trust between you and me, I am not a gatekeeper of culture. I bring to the table, years of reading, researching, and learning from books, podcasts, professors, archeologists and cultural practitioners from a variety of indigenous cultures. I do not claim to be an expert in any tradition, but serve as a guide and co-creator to your own medicine. The imagery we will collaborate to co-create will be a braiding of ancestral and modern art.
On the topic of indigenous queerness, I co-create pieces that celebrate the old cultural reverence of queerness, gender fluidity and roles, and motifs that represent gender, this too is part of my modern spin on ancestrally led body art.
If you are ready for your tattoo ceremony journey, please fill out THIS FORM