There is no gain saying that Africa is distinct among the other continents in the world, being culturally blessed. One of the cultural practices in some African countries today is the act of putting tribal mark on the face of their children to identify their races, ethnic groups and cultural background. Today, African citizens can recognise themselves anywhere in the world by the kind of mark(s) on their faces. In Yoruba ethnic group in Nigeria, various kinds of marks abound. Some are in straight line, some in diagonal form while some are in group, among others.
As much as tribal mark has cultural and beautification advantages, there is more to it than the beauty it adds to the face of a child. Many are arguing that such marks often disgrace them and make them to be shy in the public. Those that are crime inclined often abhor tribal marks because it can easily help in identify them among others in the public.
Given the numerous ethnic groups that exist on the populous continent, one of the best-documented reasons for scarification in Africa was for the purpose of identifying people. In a comprehensive account of the Yoruba people of Nigeria,Samuel Johnson includes twenty-four face sketches with different types of Yoruba marks and then describes each of these patterns as marks that were used to distinguish members of Yoruba royal families.
Scarification can cause different types of marks, depending on factors including but not limited to the tools and techniques used, factors related to skin healing, and the types of substances introduced to the wound. There is speculation and different theories about how the different types of marks were produced.
Scars can be raised or indented, globular or linear, through the use of different tools. To make a raised, globular scar, a hook…is used to hook into the skin and pull it upwards so that it can be cut across with a blade. As the skin heals a round, raised scar is produced. Indented scars are often made using nails or blades to cut into the skin and something cut a thin strip out of the skin. These are usually linear scars.
To produce a raised scar as opposed to a flat or sunken scar, a special technique was used by the people living in the East and middle regions of Nigeria; raised cuts were made by “making the lines of cuts on the body or face, then stretching them open and inserting pads of palm leaf or other padding beneath the skin. Soot or oil is rubbed in and the treatment is repeated until the keloids or ‘beauty berries’ have attained the desired size and protrusion.
In terms of tools used, the Igbo of Nigeria use a triangular-shaped razor called ugelle or uche . In Northern Nigeria, such as among the Dakari, some markers have adopted nails turned into knives by forging their sharp ends to form blades. The Tiv people of Nigeria call their knives 'kusa' a razor which comes from the word for nail. In Benin, sharp glass is used and in other areas, people use pen knives or butcher's knives. The Yoruba use a knife or abe with thin handles or tails, usually 2-3 inches long, with a semi-circular blade. They were also known to use a “special Y-shaped, double-bladed knife to make intricate tattoo cicatrice designs. Another tool used by the Yoruba was a “cutting edge [which] was indented in the middle, thus giving the blade two sharp angles with which the incisions were made.
The tools and materials used, then, apparently have an effect on the type of scar that forms. Another perspective on the characteristics of the scars that result states that,
scarification involves cutting or incising the skin and then manipulating the cicatrisation process by introducing ink, ashes, or other substances into the still open wound. Once these wounds heal, they leave more or less pronounced scars.
A study was conducted in Oyo and Akinyele local governments in western Nigeria. Three communities were randomly selected from each of the local governments.The areas were chosen because of the prevalence of the culture of having facial marks and ease of access.
G e n e r a l l y, people want to be associated with accepted norms and practices of in their society, be it for the purposes of identification, enhancement of beauty, or other reasons. It is therefore understandable that some of the respondents had facial marks because they wanted to be identified with the tradition of the people (including those that were naturalised) or their
royal lineage. However, investigation revealed some of the respondents were indifferent because they believed that the marks were permanent and nothing could be done to remove them and were therefore resigned to fate. It is therefore likely that more respondents would have opted to remove their facial marks if they were aware that marks could be removed.This is an indication of ignorance among some members of the communities.
