Yoruba tribal marks

Gọmbọ style of Yoruba tribal marks

The Yoruba tribal marks are scarifications which are specific identification and beautification marks designed on the face or body of the Yoruba people. The tribal marks are part of the Yoruba culture and are usually inscribed on the body by burning or cutting of the skin during childhood. [1] The primary function of the tribal marks is for identification of a person's tribe or family and it is a key factor to the people's survival and existence.[2] Families or individuals lacking the normal features consistent with the tribe are not considered as acquiring full standing as agents in Yoruba society. They would also lack the capacity for meaningful behavior, such as greeting, stating and commanding.[3] Each tribe of the Yoruba ethnic group had different inscription patterns which appears in different sizes and shapes at different locations within the face or body. The location and position of the mark's inscription depends on the tribe and culture.[4] The tribal marks could be inscribed on the breast, arm, lap or buttocks, but they are usually on the face.[5]

Style

Pele

The Pele style is four horizontal lines, about a quarter of an inch long inscribed on the cheeks on both sides of the mouth.[6] It exists in two different formats, horizontal and vertical, which further consist of three versions: Pele Ijesa, usually inscribed on the cheeks of the Ijesha of Osun State; Pele Ekiti, a quarter of an inch horizontal line usually inscribed on the cheeks of Ekiti people of Ekiti State; and Pele Akoko, about the same length, but in either vertical or horizontal format.[7] The Indigenes of Ondo Kingdom are usually identified by the vertical format of the Pele style on both sides of the nose down to the mouth and are usually long and thick.[8] The Owu tribal mark consists of six incisions on each side of the cheeks. It is synonymous with the Pele style and peculiar to the indigenes of Owu, an historical city in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, Nigeria.[9] The Owu tribal mark was inscribed on the cheeks of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.[10]

Gọmbọ

The Gọmbọ style, also known as Kẹkẹ, consists of multiple straight and curved lines about a half of an inch long inscribed on the cheeks on both sides of the mouth. Indigenes of Ogbomosho in Oyo State are usually identified by the Gombo or Kẹkẹ style of Yoruba tribal marks. The Gombo style was inscribed on the cheeks of Chief Samuel Akintola, a Nigerian orator.[7][11]

Abaja

The Abaja style consists of twelve horizontal lines, six lines per cheek. It is often referred to as "Abaja Alaafin Mefa Mefa". This tribal mark is unique to the indigenes of Oyo, Nigeria.[12] The Abaja style of Yoruba tribal mark was inscribed on the cheeks of Lamidi Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of oyo. [13] Other Yoruba tribal marks include Ture, Mande, Bamu and Jamgbadi.[14]

Use of tribal marks today

The use of tribal marks as a means of identification and beautification among the Yoruba tribe is no longer a norm and some Yoruba states have enacted certain laws that prohibit the use of the marks. Violators of the law are liable for fines or imprisonment.[15] In Oyo State, for example, the prohibition of tribal marks is an integral part of the state Child Rights Law, a law that imposes a fine or one-month imprisonment or both for violation.[8] According to the law "No person shall tattoo or make a skin mark or cause any tattoo or skin mark to be made on a child".[16]

Prominent people with tribal marks

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lefèber, Yvonne & Voorhoeve, H. W. A. (1998). Indigenous Customs in Childbirth and Child Care. Uitgeverij Van Gorcum. p. 53. ISBN 9023233662.
  2. ↑ Chioma, Gabriel (October 18, 2014). "Marked for life? Are your tribal marks attractive or repulsive?". Vanguard News. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  3. ↑ Bello, Abiodun (February 10, 2015). "Tribal marks, a people’s identity". New Telegraph. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ Ember, Melvin; Ember, Carol R. (2004). Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology. 1 (cultures). Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1032. ISBN 0306477548.
  5. ↑ Famutimi, Temitayo (December 24, 2014). "Civilisation pushes tribal mark makers out of job". The Punch. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ Biebuyck, Daniel P. (1973). Tradition and Creativity in Tribal Art. University of California Press. p. 108. ISBN 0520024877. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Johnson, Obadiah; Johnson, Samuel (2010). The History of the Yorubas: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate. Cambridge University Press. pp. 107, 108. ISBN 1108020992. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  8. 1 2 Apa (June 15, 2013). "The kick against aged tribal marks in Nigeria". Star Africa. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  9. ↑ Nwokolo, Ernest (Abeokuta) (March 5, 2013). "Obasanjo: why I didn’t know my father had tribal marks". The Nation. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ Olatunji, Segun (Abeokuta) (November 4, 2014). "My tribal marks are my natural ID card, Obasanjo tells NIMC boss". The Sun. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  11. ↑ Purefoy, Christian (July 21, 2010). "Tribal scars custom drying up in Nigeria". CNN. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  12. ↑ Hucks, Tracey E. "Yoruba Traditions and African American Religious Nationalism". UNM Press. ISBN 0826350771.
  13. ↑ Ibironke,Amanda (January 23, 2014). "The Yoruba Tibal Marks". The Voice. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  14. ↑ Mayaki, Victoria Ozohu (March 5, 2011). "Nigeria: Tribal Marks – Our Lost Heritage". All Africa. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  15. ↑ Falola, Toyin & Ngom, Fallou (2009). "Facts, Fiction, and African Creative Imaginations". Routledge. p. 86. ISBN 1135212899.
  16. ↑ Adeoye, Doyin. "Tribal marks in modern Nigeria: The burden, the anguish". The Tribune. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, January 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.