Ink and insights: dialogue with local indigenous tattoo artist Mike Prickett

Mike Prickett II of Hummingbird Tattoo Studio discussed Indigenous perspectives with students at a group dialogue and Q&A Monday. Credit: Courtesy of Mike Prickett II

From the permanence of ink etched onto skin and the indelible stories imprinted on the land we call home, a captivating conversation unfolded at Knight House Monday night.

With the start of National Native American Heritage Month, the Center for Belonging and Social Change hosted a group dialogue and Q&A with Mike Prickett II of Hummingbird Tattoo Studio to discuss Indigenous perspectives. Attendees listened to Prickett on how he manages appropriation, culture and tradition.

“You have to find creative ways to talk to people when discussing racism and appropriation,” Prickett said.

A part of the Miami [Myaamia] tribe in Indiana, Prickett got his first tattoo at 13 and fell in love. He has been tattooing for over 20 years now and is covered head to toe in tattoos, but considers it to all be one piece.

To start off the discussion, Madison Eagle, a coordinator for belonging and student support in the Student Life Center for Belonging and Social Change, began with a land acknowledgment.

“We want to make sure we are taking the time and energy to uplift Indigenous voices,” Eagle said. 

With media popularizing the art form, Prickett said there has been a surge in trends and uneducated tattoos, blurring the fine line between appreciation and appropriation.

“When I first started tattooing, everyone wanted a dream catcher,” Prickett said. “I don’t ever want to see a dream catcher again because of them.”

Open to conversations about his heritage with anyone who comes into his shop, Prickett said he proudly displays native artwork, medicines and smudges — the practice of burning various medicinal plants to cleanse oneself and connect with one’s spirit and the creator — daily.

Having a background in social work, he has developed programs for kids on probation in the Tippecanoe County Juvenile Justice System and done over 100 complete cover-up tattoos for women formerly involved in sex trafficking, Prickett said.

“Healing should be free,” Prickett said.

During the Q&A with Prickett, he spoke on a few of the tattoos he’s given associated with Native culture, including some related to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement. These tattoos are often the red hand print, a woman in a ribboned skirt with a red hand print over her mouth or a red hand print with a face in it, Prickett said.

“[Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women] is a call to action for the injustices and violence indigenous women face,” Eagle said. 

Despite the meaning behind many of his pieces, Prickett said his favorite is one he did for his 13-year-old niece, who was a water protector at Standing Rock at age 11.

 “I’m here for my family. That’s why I am doing this,” Prickett said. 

As the art of tattooing continues to grow, Prickett shared plenty of advice for those considering their first or next tattoo, emphasizing researching the tattoo itself, the artist and the studio. He recommends looking at images of art rather than others’ tattoos since no artist can recreate the same tattoo.

He has no qualms denying people who want to get tattoos appropriating his or other cultures, like eagle wings or sacred pipes, but instead looks for an opportunity to educate. After all, a major draw for Prickett to tattooing is the chance to meet and connect with all kinds of different people.

“I’m not trying to make a million bucks,” Prickett said. “I just like doing tattoos.”