Overview
Reviving Tradition: The Resurgence of Women's 111 Tattoos in Northern California Tribes
Author:
LeMonie Hutt (Hoopa Valley Tribal Member)
Maggie Peters (Yurok/Karuk) Humboldt County Office of Education
Collaborators:
Bertha Peters, Yurok/Karuk
Lyn Risling, Karuk/Hupa/Yurok
Paula Tripp-Allen, Karuk/Yurok
Shoshoni Gensaw-Hostler, Yurok/Karuk/Tolowa
Rachel Sundberg, Yurok
Video support provided by Joanna Galicha, Graphics & Communications Specialist at Humboldt County Office of Education
Grades: 6-8 or 9-12 for Ethnic Studies
Suggested Amount of Time: Three 60 minute sessions
Curriculum Themes
- History
- Cultural Strengths
- Law/Government
- Relationship to Place
- Cross Curricular Integration
Learning Goals
Examine the resurgence of the Women’s 111 tattoos and the impact to Native peoples' expression of cultural identities.
Explore cultural traditions and their significance.
Understand and appreciate diverse cultural practices outside Western cultural/social norms.
Unit Overview
This lesson offers students a meaningful and culturally responsive exploration of the resurgence of women’s 111 chin tattoos among the Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk Tribes of Northern California. Once widely practiced before colonization, the 111 tattoo tradition was dormant for several decades. Today, this deeply personal and cultural form of expression is being revived by Native women as a powerful symbol of identity, resistance, and connection to heritage.
Through this lesson, students will examine the history and significance of these tattoos, as well as the broader cultural revitalization efforts occurring in Native communities, including the preservation of language, traditional ceremony, and cultural arts. Using a thoughtfully designed slideshow, video interviews, and primary source materials, students will learn directly from modern Native women who have received the 111 tattoo. They will reflect on the personal, emotional, and social meaning behind these choices and discuss how cultural expression and appreciation are essential to Indigenous resilience today.
The lesson is structured to be student-centered and engaging. Activities include small-group discussions, reflective writing, visual analysis, and collaborative presentations. Students will work together to answer key questions, analyze first-person narratives, and consider the responsibilities involved in honoring and continuing cultural traditions. Vocabulary such as cultural expression, cultural appreciation, and cultural revitalization is woven throughout to deepen understanding and guide respectful conversations.
This lesson is ideal for middle or high school classrooms and aligns well with social and emotional competencies, language arts, and ethnic studies standards. It invites thoughtful dialogue, promotes empathy, and encourages students to think critically about history, identity, and the importance of cultural survival. Most importantly, it centers Indigenous voices and lived experiences making it a powerful and relevant unit for today’s learners.
Teacher Background
This lesson provides an opportunity for students to explore cultural expression, identity, and the impact of colonization through the personal stories of Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk women. These women reflect a cultural revitalization by reclaiming the traditional 111 chin tattoo, a practice that was nearly lost due to violent genocide, forced assimilation and cultural suppression Native communities. As students engage with video testimonies, they learn to recognize the strength and resilience of Indigenous women who are expressing identity and pride through their tattoos while challenging dominant societal views and stereotypes.
For teachers, this lesson invites us to model best practices in teaching about cultural identity. That includes creating space for authentic Indigenous voices, emphasizing listening over assuming, and encouraging curiosity that is always respectful. Because cultural expression can often be misunderstood or misrepresented, it is essential to help students differentiate between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. By preparing students to engage with these stories thoughtfully, we create a learning environment where traditions are honored rather than objectified, and where identity is treated as both personal and powerful.
This lesson supports key social-emotional learning goals, particularly around self-awareness, social awareness, and equity. Students explore how values are shaped by culture and experience (SEL 1.C.3), reflect on their own biases and how those might affect others (SEL 1.D.3), and identify their personal, social, and cultural strengths as sources of power (SEL 1.G.3). The lesson also supports T-SEL competencies by encouraging students to consider how social identities impact our interactions (T-SEL 3.A.3) and how bias—both personal and systemic—can lead to exclusion and injustice (T-SEL 3.F.3). Through stories of prejudice and pride, silence and revitalization, students are guided to reflect on how intent does not always match impact, and how awareness of this gap can help us be more inclusive and just.
Students will gain an understanding of Native Californian history and tradition, develop empathy, critical thinking, and a stronger sense of personal and collective identity. This lesson is about belonging, resilience, and reestablishing cultural norms.
Interactive Slides
About the Interactive Slides
A key component of this curriculum includes interactive slides and a lesson script/facilitation support. These materials are designed to support ease of implementation and help guide lesson delivery.
The interactive slides are animated to gradually reveal content and may include links to videos and audio playback buttons for Tribal language integration, songs, or slide facilitation.
In addition to the downloadable lesson and student handouts, this lesson comprised of Three 60 minute sessions, includes interactive slides and lesson script/ facilitation support.
Slides: Reviving Tradition: The Resurgence of Women's 111 Tattoos in Northern California
Lesson Script/ Facilitation Support
*To ensure full accessibility, we recommend making a copy of the instructional material(s).
Instructions:
To use the slides effectively:
- Project the slides in "Slideshow Mode" to activate animations. Written content will appear with each click.
- Set speaker volume before beginning the lesson to ensure all students can hear audio content.
- Play audio by clicking the audio playback icons one at a time. There may be a brief pause while the audio loads.
- Hovering over an audio playback icon will reveal a playback bar that allows you to play, pause, adjust speed, or fast-forward the audio.
- Note: You do not need to use the playback bar unless you wish to adjust playback. Simply clicking the icon will play the audio.