Indigenous California

California's Indigenous peoples include many communities with distinct languages and body arts. Chin tattooing is especially well documented among women of the Yurok, Karuk and Hupa in the north, while other groups had different designs.

Fine lines could become a bold pattern on the face. Their number, width and arrangement varied. Beauty, maturity and belonging might all play a role; one explanation does not fit every wearer.

Some men's markings had a practical use too. Historical accounts describe arm tattoos used to measure strings of valuable shells. A mark on the skin could help determine what a string was worth.

Basketry, shell ornaments and clothing show other forms of skilled work. Tattoo traditions are also being reclaimed by Indigenous practitioners today. These portraits belong to a continuing history, rather than to a world that ended when the picture was made.