Sarah Whalen Lunn (b. 1977)

Anchorage, Alaska

Holly Nordlum and I tattooed each other's eyes in her home studio on a spring day. A few months later, I woke up and knew it was time to start my tavluġun, which we did in her home studio, as well. Just one row of dots at first. It took me about another year of actually doing the work for other women to know I needed to expand my tavluġun to the three rows of dots I wear now. There are many factors that brought about my decision to wear my traditional markings. One thing I will say is that seeing the strength of the women I was tattooing and the strong need to feel connected to my culture really urged me to wear my markings. It has changed my life and how I view the world, forever.