#Or can we just give it back to the natives

[uzumaki-rebellion]

Y'all have to admit they mammified Annie, made Pearline look like a jezebel, and then literally had Mary looking like some holy woman who was just in love and made some misguided decisions. They had Annie with barely any makeup and her hair all over her head, and they had Pearline slinking all over the stage after freshly cheating on her husband (which they constantly referenced). With Mary, they made it seem like she had no choice in her marriage and wanted "freedom" and Stack. At the end they got what they wanted and while we're supposed to see Annie and Smoke as the winners or whatever the message that the freedom and happiness is in the afterlife is nothing new, especially in the black community.

I think people are projecting the mammy image onto Annie because of their own personal anti-Black programming (which every Black person globally is raised with under white supremacy), and mainly because they don't know what the mammy image/trope truly is. Lemme help you.

The mammy trope/mammification of Black women is a desexualized image that is set in a purely domesticated role. They tend to be darker-skinned, full-figured, stripped of agency, and are often at the service of whiteness. They are never viewed as the love interest or having an erotic bone in their body. The ONLY thing Annie has in common with that definition (care of Merriem-Webster and my own university education as a Social Science/Black & Native Studies graduate) is dark skin, and a full-figure. Dassit. Ain't no mammy nowhere in her. Is she nurturing? Yes? A pillar of her community and protecting it with Hoodoo (which I practice myself)? Yes. Does she care for her man and look out for other people? Yes. But all that comes from a love of her people in the service of Black people, not whiteness. Did you not see them back shots and Smoke clapping his wife's cheeks? Mammies don't do that because that is not their function in stories. Also, Annie wore her hair in the actual style women with that texture of hair did in 1932. It wasn't all over her head (I'm smelling self-hate vibes and anti-natural hair energy). And why for the love of god would she have make-up on doing her Hoodoo work in all that heat? She was gorgeous without make up. I don't think the plantation stores sold Maybelline cosmetics that Annie would need for her customers. Maybelline didn't accept wooden nickels or plantation script for money either, so...whatever. Lol.

People can call Pearline a Jezebel all they want, but that doesn't change the fact that Sammie loved her his entire life, named his club after her, and remembers her fondly for being part of the best day of his entire life. Plus, Christianity thinks any woman with agency is a jezebel spirit, so that holds no weight for me personally cuz I don't give a fuck what a woman does with her pussy, married or not. Most men are trash anyway, so a beauty like that stepping out to a juke, oh, her husband had to be a 1932 joy-killer. Also, do we even truly know Pearline was married? Many women traveling the chitlin circuit in those days as an entertainer often pretended to be married (even wore fake rings) to protect themselves in seedy environments around men and the judgmental Christians. Whether she was married or not doesn't matter because Sammie was smitten, and that's the love of his life in the movie. Period. She didn't rub up on nobody else but him, and stayed by his side until the very end.

Mary was hoeing, jezabelling, tragic-octorooning and what not. She was not a holy woman because she acted selfish, entitled, and just as colorist/anti-Black woman as Stack (her not saying anything against Stack calling darker Black women "field bitches" is a choice. She knew her place on the colored hierarchy). That's why a lot of Black folks are cracking jokes about her saying she would beat up every "bitch" in that place, knowing she would get curb stomped had she said that to another Black woman's face in that juke. Personally, I don't see Mary as a winner because she and Stack will forever have to stay in the shadows and are cut off from the ancestors. They are the lesson of all that glitters ain't gold & stop inviting everybody to the cookout. Their life is so unappealing that Sammie didn't even want to become like them because life hadn't really changed that much from 1932 (especially with the L.A. Rebellion happening in 1992 all because of white racism/white supremacy). So while you may think Annie and Smoke didn't have the happy ending we would've preferred (being alive together), it is a horror movie and folks die, so being with the ancestors and ALL your family for eternity is a win in my eyes, compared to being stuck with no connection to anyone except another bloodsucker who didn't give you a choice to become disconnected from your people.

But that's the beauty of art, we can all have our own takes and interpretations. However, Annie wasn't a mammy. That's a personal issue for people who believe that. People gotta unpack the self-hate projection onto a Black woman character that didn't present that way to many of us who appreciate what she represented culturally as a Hoodoo practioner in 1932 America. That was a warrior/healer/lover.

[caitchercatlady]

Sleeping Over at Ramshackle w/Epel

Whenever Epel messages you about casual things, it’s always in the group chat with the rest of the freshmen group. He’s usually in a good mood there. On the other hand, when you receive a direct message from him, you know he needs help…more like an escape…from you both know who.

You have told Epel before that Ramshackle is a safe space for him to breathe any way he wants without Vil’s supervision. Of course, he will take advantage of that offer and not a moment too soon.

You two won’t exactly know when, but Vil is not one to care about Epel’s patience. Soon as club is over for you, you get the infamous DM.

Prefect! Please, help me!

Done and done.

You both arrive at Ramshackle pretty much the same time. Epel has only waited for a minute or two on your front porch, a gym bag at his feet.

Oh boy, you know it’s rough. No need for questions. It’s time for relaxation mode…while giving Epel room to vent in his “native tongue.”

Knowing Epel and his ways to relax, you let him know that you’ve acquired some ingredients to bake a pie. You need assistance in beating some dough into crust. Come to think of it, any form of breaking something apart can be perfect for Epel right now. Furthermore, who doesn’t like a delicious pie?

Just as you predict, Epel goes ham in the baking process, but he treats your kitchen with greatest respect. By the time the pie is in the oven, the both of you then battle the dishes in the sink, scrubbing them until there’s not a speck of grime or food on them.

���I feel bad for invading your dorm like this, Prefect,” Epel tells you.

“I don’t want you to be,” you respond. “You need a break. Ramshackle is always open for that.”

“I know, but I feel that I should handle Vil myself.”

“No, you don’t have to do such a thing. Friends help each other. It’s what I believe.”

Epel blushes at your sentiment.

Dishes are clean and when you test the finished pie, not to forget the whipped cream to top it off, you two are already deeming the night a success.

With your stomachs full of deliciousness, it’s time to prepare for bed. With little you have in night clothes, changing for you in the washroom is quick. When you check on Epel in the spare room, its door is wide open, and the Harveston bumpkin is nowhere to be seen. You call out for him, and he calls back from the washroom.

“Epel, how did I not hear you in there?”

“I usually change quietly.”

“Well, you want some snacks? I’ll bring them from downstairs.”

“Ok!”

You go ahead and do just that. You return with a bowl of chips to find the spare bedroom door closed, assuming Epel is doing something else now. You politely knock. “I’m back!” you announce.

Silence.

“Epel?”

“Yeah?” he responds.

“I got the snacks.”

“Oh, uh, you can leave it at the door.”

Suddenly, your stomach drops, and you’re praying that whatever is going on has nothing to do with Vil. “Epel, are you ok?”

“Oh yeah. Just dandy.”

“Can I come in to chat?”

“Um…”

“Epel, whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“Ok…Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Uh, alright?”

The door knob giggles, and the wooden door opens inward to reveal Epel in a pair of green, puffy pajamas, his top half, covered in a knitted apple sweater. You smile, happy to see that he’s ok. On the other hand, he tugs on his sweater sleeves, cheeks flushing pink.

You offer him the chips as an olive branch. “I thought you wanted your night snack.”

The color of nerves fades from Epel’s face as he accepts your treat. “Thank you, Prefect. This does look good.”

“You sure you’re ok. You sound shyer than you were when you first came over.”

“Oh…uh…” He tugs on his sleeves again. “You see…My granny made these pajamas for me…”

“They’re very lovely.”

His eyes perk up. “I’m glad. I thought you’d think Vil makes me wear this.”

“If I suspected that, you’d be wearing nightgowns,” you reply, smirking.

Epel blushes. “Seven forbid…”

“Anyway, how about we enjoy ourselves?”

He can’t agree with you more. You two stay up and continue to chat away about the fun you guys will have in the upcoming days. The fatigue will start to set in, and the both of you will lull into dreamland, having your mutual understanding and warmth for comfort.

[coochiequeens]

We believe that our culture is a living culture,” she said. “Unlike what western society puts in the history books, we’re not a past people. We are a continuation. And I think a lot of our listeners really resonate with that.” - Faithlyn Seawright

Faithlyn Seawright. Photograph: Destiny Green Photography

Native American women are bringing back facial tattoos: ‘We’re a living culture’

A collective is breathing new life into inchunwa for south-eastern Indigenous people across the US

Adria R Walker Sun 4 May 2025

Receiving her inchunwa was not something Faithlyn Taloa Seawright did lightly, but when the moment “just felt right”, she knew it was time. Seawright, who was the 2024 Miss Indian Oklahoma and a previous Chickasaw Princess, had long studied the tradition that she inherited from her ancestors.

In Choctaw and Chickasaw languages, inchunwa means “to be marked, branded or tattooed”. So receiving inchunwa, or traditional Indigenous tattoos, is something that must be done with reverence, Seawright said. The practice was once common among the south-eastern Indigenous nations (Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee and others), but after colonization the tradition faded away for many.

Now, through efforts like those from the Inchunwa Project, a community-rooted collective that is working to revitalize the tattoos, south-eastern Indigenous people across the country are breathing new life into the practice.

Last year, the Inchunwa Project, which began in 2017, hosted its first retreat, which included traditional tattoo artists, people entering tattoo apprenticeships and south-eastern tribal folks who were interested in learning about tattoo revitalization.

Those gathered played games, wrote poetry, ate traditional foods and talked about the research they’d found. The retreat was a time for fellowship, but it was also one for action, in which people could share their research into the ancient practice and decide what they were going to do with it.

The Inchunwa Project met up with Chickasaw artist Jimmy Dean Horn at the Indigenous tattoo and music festival in Ada, Oklahoma, on 4 October 2024. Photograph: Inchunwa Project

“We met to talk about how and why we got involved with tattoo revitalization, where we want to see this project going, what would our full vision be and how are we going to get there,” said Seawright, who is a Chickasaw citizen. Some artists brought their supplies to the event, which led to a few tattooing sessions where people received their finger inchunwa, or tattoos, that have different meanings. Seawright, who had already received six lines on her fingers years prior, received her first facial tattoos at the event.

Her latest inchunwa consists of two lines on either side of her mouth. One line represents the fact that Seawright has entered adulthood and the other signifies that she is a young adult without children. If she has children, she will have three lines. Once she is an elder or has grandchildren, she will have four. The facial inchunwa is intended to grow with her throughout life.

Seawright said that the inchunwa session had been full of encouragement, with people gathering to witness it. “That’s really what help[ed] us to have that traditional aspect, to have support there, those that are there to give guidance: ‘Remember to breathe’, ‘it’s OK to cry if you need to’, ‘you need water’, ‘maybe it’s time for a break’.”

For Seawright, receiving her inchunwa reflected her commitment to her community and to setting the groundwork for being a good ancestor. The six lines on her fingers represent a personal promise to better herself, an homage to her siblings who are not with her in the physical world and the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

“I prayed on it and I waited for years for that moment to come,” she said of her finger tattoos. “The only way I can describe that decision of knowing when to get it is you just feel that pull, that emotion, and you just know that’s the time.”

Reclaiming a thousand-year artistic tradition

In 2017, about 30 Choctaw women and two-spirit people planned to walk the Trail of Tears and receive their inchunwa at the end to commemorate the action, their friendship and their commitment to community.

The group approached a wall of logistical questions: who would tattoo them? What designs would they receive? What did those designs mean? They decided to pause the walk and instead research and learn more, meeting online from 2018 to 2021 to discuss their findings. The Inchunwa Project was born from this research and collaboration.

While they initially considered compiling all of the information into a book, they realized a podcast would be a better way to reach people. “Since so many of us were Washington-based at that time, we would travel back to Oklahoma or to the south-east specifically for cultural gatherings,” said Lisa Fruichantie, the executive director of the Inchunwa Project. “It was a way for us to connect no matter where we were.”

In receiving and promoting inchunwa today, south-eastern Indigenous people are continuing a millennia-old tradition. “Tattooing is a really ancient art form,” said Mairin Odle, an associate professor in the department of American studies at the University of Alabama. “If you’re looking at south-eastern communities, there’s an almost thousand-year artistic tradition that you can look to for examples and for proof of it.”

Images and descriptions of south-east Indigenous people during the early years of European contact, such as a 1732 image of a Choctaw warrior with a painted face and tattooed neck and torso, and an 1834 image of two Choctaw women with facial tattoos, refer to or depict tattoos. Three Cherokee men, known as the “three kings”, who traveled to England in 1762 to meet King George III, were all heavily tattooed across their faces and bodies.

Sixtowns Choctaw women with facial tattoos (Karl Bodmer, 1834). Photograph: Courtesy of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

People who receive inchunwa today can draw from their ancestors, using pottery, shell carvings and other artisan works from pre-contract, during the Mississippian Era, as inspiration for designs. They can also use modern works, from south-eastern basket weavers or stick makers, to create new meanings. “We can’t say for sure that that is what it meant to the ancestors,” Fruichantie said. “But we can say that this is what has come to us, and what [it might mean] for the future.”

There are key differences between traditional Indigenous tattooing and western tattooing. In the latter, it is common to use stencils, a tattoo gun and brightly colored ink. For many Indigenous tattoos, however, hand poke, in which artists make the images without a stencil as a guide, is more common. As such, receiving the inchunwa may take longer. “It’s a more intimate process between the person getting the tattoo and those that are giving the tattoo,” Seawright said.

Though older Indigenous methods included using garfish teeth or deer bones, modern practitioners caution against the potential of blood-borne pathogens and for ensuring a sterile environment. The decision on the type of method used – tattoo gun or hand poke – is ultimately left to the personal preference of the person receiving the tattoo. Seawright’s face and hand tattoos were both done with tattoo guns, but, she said, “it doesn’t make them any less traditional compared to someone else that did hand poke tattoos”.

‘A responsibility that I literally wear on my face’

The Inchunwa Project’s work in promoting traditional tattoos has brought deeper understanding to south-eastern communities. It is part of a larger effort around revitalizing traditions after the colonial era and centuries of forced assimilation.

“I was raised up to believe that nothing was extinct. Nothing dies. We call it going to sleep,” Seawright said. “My father was a part of our Chickasaw revitalization of stomp dancing and that’s what he taught me. He’s like: ‘There’s a time we stopped doing these; these dances went to sleep. But with the help of our fellow tribes, like the Muscogee and Seminole, we were able to bring this back.’ And so, I never thought of it as them being gone, they just went to sleep and somebody had to have that vision and bring it back and bring it back to the people.”

The Inchunwa Project and the community that has developed around it have connected the group “very deeply”, Fruichantie said. Last year, when the group had a table at the Indigenous tattoo music festival, a woman approached them and specifically referenced an episode of the podcast with Julie Cordero-Lamb, an ethnobotanist and member of the Chumash Nation who teaches traditional regenerative horticulture. “She said that [the episode] inspired such a sense of pride within her community,” Fruichantie said. “And that there are about 20 different women that have now received their facial inchunwa, which is really big because it’s such a big commitment.”

Inchunwa team members receive their ancestral markings at the Indigenous tattoo music festival. Photograph: Courtesy of Inchunwa Project

Revitalizing the traditional practice has an impact both on the person who decides to receive their inchunwa and the community at large. “I’m old enough to have had the conversations with my parents that a lot of people have had where it’s like: ‘Don’t get tattoos, don’t get your hair dyed, because that’s going to be a job killer’,” Fruichantie said. “It’s a big deal for people to get their hands tattooed, but even bigger on the face. I think that shows such a big commitment to their culture. We often say it’s a responsibility to my people and to my culture that I literally wear on my face,” she said.

Similarly, what’s most important for Seawright is the impact her tattoos have on the future generations. “We believe that our culture is a living culture,” she said. “Unlike what western society puts in the history books, we’re not a past people. We are a continuation. And I think a lot of our listeners really resonate with that.”

Seeing her two-year-old niece for the first time after receiving her facial inchunwa showed Seawright how important it was for her to pick up the banner of tattoo revitalization. “She ran up to me and she put her hand on my face, just lightly touching it and smiling,” Seawright said. “It was that little acknowledgement. It’s something that’s so spiritually moving. We’re bringing these back not only for our elders, but we’re making these new pathways for our future generations to have that be a common sight. For my niece to just do that simple move, it helped bring it all together. This is who it’s for.”