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In Aboriginal culture, tattoos are more than just body art. They are rich in history and meaning for many. And in recent years, there has been a revival of the practice, with some artists bringing back long-lost techniques and others reorganizing centuries-old designs.

Skindigenous, a docu-series now in its third season, showcases Indigenous tattoo traditions in Canada and around the world. Here is a selection of the artists and their work. Skindigenous airs Wednesdays on APTN.

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A professional tattoo artist for over 20 years, Gordon Sparks grew up on Pabineau First Nation and now lives in Halifax. “Tattooing is for me a form of medicine that helps people get through the hard times and the good times, it helps heal their mind, spirit and body,” he says.

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Lianna Spence is a Tsimshian multidisciplinary artist living in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. She has long been a sculptor, painter and jewelry designer, but has also incorporated the design and manufacture of tattoos in recent years.

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Heather Kiskihkoman, who is Nehiyaw and Anishinaabe, graduated from Parsons Paris School of Art and Design in Paris, France. Her time there left her with the feeling that Indigenous art was not valued enough and that she had to stand up for the style of art she wanted to create. She lives in the community of Maskwacis in central Alberta.

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Australia-based Turumakina Duley has been practicing the art of Tā moko since 1994 and appoints Mark Kopua as one of its greatest mentors. Tā moko is traditionally practiced by the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. Originally, artists marked the skin by cutting it with uhi (scissors) instead of puncturing it with needles.

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Danika Naccarella is a Northwest Coast artist of Nuxalk and Gwa’sala-Nakwaxda’xw ancestry from her mother and father’s side. She studied traditional hand and skin point tattooing and is now reviving traditional tattooing in the Nuxalk community.