Transformative Marks Podcast

063 A year after the last needle pass, what’s left is not just ink, it’s a new way of living inside your own skin. I’m back with Ecko Aleck, who returns to reflect on what it’s actually been like to live with a full bodysuit long after the swelling fades, including the moment the markings helped make it impossible to keep hiding and led her to come out publicly as Two-Spirit.

We talk about the hard, honest mechanics of transformation during ancestral skin marking and cultural tattooing: hitting a pain threshold, the shaking that can take over, and the deep breaths that follow. Ecko connects breathwork to waves and even to childbirth, where you grieve an old self while bringing a new self forward. We also explore trauma-informed practice in real terms, including the idea that shaking can be part of completing a trauma cycle and why grounding through the senses can bring you back when your mind tries to flee.

From warm hands and aromatherapy to a heavy blanket and a “wellness basket,” we break down what community care looks like in a tattoo room and why support people can be foundational, not optional. We also zoom out to the bigger arc: monumental Indigenous portraiture, stewardship, the power of practitioner gatherings like the Nlaka'pamux Blackwork Roundup, and how personal healing ripples outward into family, community, and the planet.

If you care about Indigenous tattooing, ancestral skin marking, Two-Spirit identity, healing, and what real transformation demands, hit play. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this conversation with someone who needs a reminder that they are not alone.
You can find Ecko @sac.red.medicine

Check out my tattoo work at:
https://www.consumedbyink.com
Instagram @dionkaszas

Buy me a Coffee at:
https://ko-fi.com/transformativemarks

I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, ArtsNS and Support4Culture
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062 A lot of people want ancestral tattoos but feel stuck on one brutal question: “Am I enough to wear them?” I sit down with Inuit hand poke tattoo artist Jessica Coffey to talk about the real, complicated middle ground between pride and doubt, revival and responsibility, beauty and protocol. What unfolds is a candid look at Indigenous tattooing as living community work, not a perfect script you memorize before you’re allowed to belong.

Jessica shares how she found hand poke tattooing when there were few professional pathways, why the apprenticeship debate can hide deeper barriers like racism and exclusion, and how a practice built at home can still be clean, skilled, and deeply intentional. We also talk about identity and being white passing, the shame of not knowing what colonization worked so hard to erase, and why cultural markings can become both armor and a doorway back to self.

Then we get into the hard part: cultural appropriation, who gets what, and how to protect closed practices without turning into someone who only says no. I explain my “safekeeper” approach to ancestral visual language, what I choose to share or not share, and why the face carries different responsibilities. We also touch on access in Newfoundland and Labrador, training future Indigenous practitioners, and how the meaning of these marks can evolve for today while staying rooted in relationship and responsibility.

If you care about Indigenous tattoo revival, Inuit tattooing, hand poke tattoo ethics, and cultural reclamation, listen all the way through. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or question.
You can find Jessica at: @bespoke_poke

Check out my tattoo work at:
https://www.consumedbyink.com
Instagram @dionkaszas

Buy me a Coffee at:
https://ko-fi.com/transformativemarks

I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, ArtsNS and Support4Culture
Support the show

061 A chin marking can be more than a design. Sometimes it becomes a vow you carry every time you look in the mirror.

We sit down with Anishinaabe hand poke tattoo artist Gillian Prince (Waubanungohnse) to talk about Indigenous tattooing, ancestral skin marking, and how a practice becomes a way of living. Gillian shares how  tattooing entered their life young in a rough time, learning safety and technique, then turning toward cultural responsibility through traditional tattoo gatherings and community relationships. We also get honest about why keeping it grassroots is important, what it means to protect the marking experience, and how travel invitations from communities changed the shape of practice.

A big part of our conversation is sobriety and presence. Gillian explains how receiving chin markings became a commitment to live sober so they can truly hold space for others. We talk about trauma-informed care in tattoo sessions, how triggers can surface in the body, and why skills from mental health and addictions work transfer directly into cultural tattoo practice. We also name the hard part practitioners rarely discuss: secondary trauma, emotional energy, and how to debrief without breaking confidentiality through breath, smudge, quiet time, and making more art.

We close with joy and pride and why “perfect” lines are not always the point in hand poke tattooing. If you care about Indigenous cultural resurgence, traditional tattooing, or what it takes to do healing work without burning out, this one will stay with you. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more listeners find Transformative Marks.
You can find Gillian at: @waubanungohnse
Check out my tattoo work at:
https://www.consumedbyink.com
Instagram @dionkaszas

Buy me a Coffee at:
https://ko-fi.com/transformativemarks

I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, ArtsNS and Support4Culture
Support the show

#060 The journey from addiction to wholeness often requires powerful medicine. For Nicholas Wawia, that medicine came in the form of ancestral skin marking – specifically, the forward-facing red lines across his face that remind him daily to "keep my sights forward" on the red road of sobriety.

In this raw, heartfelt conversation with host Dion Kaszas, Nicholas shares how traditional tattooing practices became central to his recovery and identity reclamation. "I need something a little more to reclaim my identity, because all I knew was addiction," he explains, revealing how facial markings serve as both spiritual and practical guides through challenging moments. The horizontal lines keep his vision "locked" forward, while upward-pointing marks ensure his eyes are "guided right back up" whenever they drift downward – a powerful metaphor for maintaining focus on healing.

What makes Nicholas's perspective particularly valuable is his position as an emerging practitioner finding his way. Unlike established artists with decades of experience, he offers relatable insights from someone early in their journey, creating accessible entry points for others hesitant to begin exploring ancestral practices. His story demonstrates how Indigenous artforms aren't frozen relics but living traditions that address contemporary challenges like addiction recovery and identity formation.

The conversation moves between deeply philosophical reflections on creating "new old" traditions and practical discussions about establishing Trilllectric Tattoo, Nicholas's health-inspected studio in Sudbury. Throughout, both artists emphasize creative expression as medicine: "I owe my life to art," Nicholas states, explaining how marking has kept him connected to purpose and community. Their exchange illuminates how traditional skin marking transcends mere decoration to become a transformative practice of healing, reconnection, and cultural resilience.

Whether you're interested in indigenous tattooing practices, recovery journeys, or the power of art as medicine, this episode offers profound insights into how ancestral wisdom can guide us through modern challenges. Subscribe now to join this transformative journey and discover how traditional practices are helping Indigenous communities heal one mark at a time.
I hope you have enjoyed this episode, and I am excited to travel the world of Indigenous tattooing with you as we visit with friends and colleagues from across the globe doing the work.

You can find Nick at:
Instagram @trillectrictattoo and @gchiwaabooz.azhaasowin

Check out my tattoo work at:
https://www.consumedbyink.com
Instagram @dionkaszas

Buy me a Coffee at:
https://ko-fi.com/transformativemarks

I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, ArtsNS and Support4Culture

Support the show

#059 Anne Spice's journey into ancestral tattooing reveals a profound path toward healing that extends far beyond artistic expression. Beginning as casual practice at a land occupation, her work evolved when she returned to her Whitehorse community with a crucial shift in perspective—approaching people with service rather than extraction. "I went in thinking about how I could be of service," Anne explains, "and it was a game changer."

This conversation uncovers how Indigenous tattooing functions as literal medicine, marking significant life transitions from sobriety to grief processing. Working directly with her community health center, Anne has developed tattooing as part of their wellness practice, creating space for community members to honor their healing journeys through permanent marks. The physical pain of receiving a tattoo can release emotional pain stored in the body, reaching places "that our words can't reach"—a powerful tool in a world where Indigenous ceremonies marking life passages have been disrupted.

Anne speaks candidly about her frontline land defense experiences and how afterward, receiving a large back tattoo helped her process trauma physically when mental approaches weren't enough. This highlights a crucial aspect of Indigenous tattooing: helping people define themselves through cultural connection rather than opposition to colonial forces. "These aren't markings that make us separate, unique people," she reflects. "They're markings that mark us as part of a collective, as people in relation." For those working to revitalize ancestral practices despite gaps in knowledge, Anne offers encouragement: "It's really worth having the patience and sitting through some of the discomfort to get to the point where our communities start opening up again." Her words remind us that transformation happens when we connect through relationship, opening ourselves to collective healing that transcends individual experience.I hope you have enjoyed this episode, and I am excited to travel the world of Indigenous tattooing with you as we visit with friends and colleagues from across the globe doing the work.

You can find Anne at:
Instagram @annespicetattoo

Check out my tattoo work at:
https://www.consumedbyink.com
Instagram @dionkaszas

Buy me a Coffee at:
https://ko-fi.com/transformativemarks

I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, ArtsNS and Support4Culture

Support the show