Holly Mititquq Nordlum is an Iñupiaq artist, designer, and storyteller from Kotzebue, Alaska, now based in Anchorage. A multidisciplinary creative, she works across traditional tattooing, fine arts, film, and graphic design to preserve and reimagine Indigenous identity in the modern world. For over twenty-five years, Holly has led Naniq Design, producing visual campaigns, exhibitions, and educational materials rooted in community storytelling and cultural sovereignty.
Through her initiative TupikMi, she has been a central figure in the revitalization of traditional Inuit tattooing practices across Alaska and the circumpolar North. Her work reconnects women, men, and youth to ancestral knowledge systems, emphasizing healing, self-definition, and cultural pride. Holly’s art reflects a balance of historical research and contemporary aesthetics, blending the precision of design with the raw honesty of lived experience.
Her creative projects often combine visual storytelling, teaching, and collaboration — from comic books exploring identity and markings with young artists to curriculum cards mapping Inuit history, colonization, and resilience. Holly’s practice also extends into public speaking and mentorship, where she trains new tattoo practitioners and works with cultural organizations to foster Indigenous arts education.
Holly’s artwork has been exhibited and presented nationally and internationally, and her community-based approach continues to inspire dialogue about what it means to be Indigenous today. Whether through ink, film, print, or digital media, she carries forward the stories, humor, and strength of her ancestors — transforming them into powerful tools for cultural continuity and connection