Tribal symbols of the Yoruba

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Head of a king from Ile-Ife , 12./13. century
Man with tribal markings, 1940s

Tribal symbols of the Yoruba ( yoruba : ila ) are scarifications that were attached to the face or body of members of the Yoruba for specific identification and decoration . The tribal symbols have been part of the Yoruba culture for many centuries and were usually introduced into the skin by burning or cutting into the skin in early childhood . The primary function of the tribal symbols was to identify a person's tribe , family, or patrilineal heritage. Other secondary functions of the characters were decorative and expressive of Yoruba creativity. This practice was very common among the Yoruba in Nigeria , Benin and Togo , but has not been practiced in recent times.

background

In traditional Yoruba societies, every child was born into a clan . Each clan had a common clan name (orile) , oral traditions (oriki) , taboos (eewo) and tribal or facial marks (ila) . The kid's face tags gave him full clan membership rights. Children with face marks were called okola . Families or individuals lacking the traits consistent with the tribe were not considered full members of Yoruba society. Each tribe of the Yoruba used individually different motifs that appeared in different places on the body in different sizes and shapes. The location and position of the motifs depended on the respective tribe and its culture. The tribal marks were usually on the face, but could be placed on the chest, arm, lap, or buttocks.

The idea behind attaching the tribal symbols to newborns was to make them unattractive to the spirit world through the scars , so that the spirits would not bring it back.

During the transatlantic slave trade , tribal symbols became important for repatriated slaves, who could use them to prove their previous tribal affiliation. However, tribal symbols could prove to be fatal for the wearer, for example when fighters in the Biafra War 1967-1970 were able to identify their opponents by their tribal symbols.

Styles

Historical tribal symbols of the Yoruba

The tribal symbols of the Yoruba came in different styles and forms . The most important were Pele , Owu, Gọmbọ and Abaja , there were also numerous others such as Ture , Mande , Bamu and Jamgbadi .

Pele

The Pele style consisted of three longitudinal lines cut on both cheeks .

Pele had many different variants. Variants include: Pele Ife , a triple longitudinal line on the cheek that was peculiar to the Ile-Ife people . Pele Ijebu and Pele Ijesha were further variants that were each formed from three short longitudinal lines on the cheeks.

Owu

The tribal symbols of the Owu from Abeokuta , the capital of the Nigerian state of Ogun , consisted of six incisions on each side of the cheeks. The former chief and later President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo also wore the tribal symbols of the Owu.

Gọmbọ

The Gọmbọ style, also known as Kẹkẹ , consists of several straight and curved lines cut on the cheeks on either side of the mouth at intervals of about an inch from each other. The residents of Ogbomosho in Oyo State identified themselves with tribal symbols in the Gombo or Kẹkẹ style.

Abaya

The brands in the abaja style could appear either simple or more complex. In their basic form, they consisted of three or four horizontal stripes on the cheeks. But they could also consist of twelve horizontal lines, six lines per cheek. They were called Abaja Alaafin Mefa Mefa . This tribal sign is unique to the indigenous people of Oyo. A well-known bearer of a tribal emblem in the Abaja style was Lamidi Adeyemi III , the Alaafin of Oyo.

Today's distribution of tribal symbols

The use of tribal symbols as a means of identification and ornament within the Yoruba is no longer the norm. Some states have banned minors from displaying these marks. Violations can result in fines , imprisonment, or both. In the state of Oyo, for example, this ban is an integral part of the Child Protection Act , according to which no one is allowed to tattoo a child or apply a skin badge or cause a child to be tattooed or given a skin badge.

For many modern Yoruba or Nigerians, tribal signs are a burden as these visible tribal signs are less and less socially accepted. Porters are viewed as backward, and many see themselves socially and professionally disadvantaged or marginalized due to a supposedly false tribal affiliation . At the same time, however, there is also a loss of centuries-old cultural heritage. At the end of the 2010s, Nigerian photo model Adetutu Alabi became known not least for her traditional tribal scars on her cheeks, which she confidently presents and wears as part of her trademark. Alabi rejects the affixing of tribal symbols to minors and fights publicly against it. She too has suffered from scorn and ridicule for this in the past. Despite this flaw, she managed a career as a photo model and she also became known beyond the borders of Nigeria.

literature

  • Olanike Orie: The Structure and Function of Yoruba Facial Scarification . In: Anthropological Linguistics . No. 53 , 2011, JSTOR : 41472238 (English).
  • James Odunbaku: The Use of Tribal Marks in Archaeological and Historical Reconstruction . In: Research on Humanities and Social Sciences . No. 6 , 2012 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Yvonne Lefeber, Henk Voorhoeve WA: Indigenous Customs in Childbirth and Child Care . Guinevere Van Gorcum, Assen 1998, ISBN 90-232-3366-2 , pp. 53 (English, google.co.uk [accessed April 1, 2020]).
  2. ↑ Olanike Orie: The Structure and Function of Yoruba Facial Scarification . In: Anthropological Linguistics . No. 53 , 2011, JSTOR : 41472238 (English).
  3. ↑ Chioma Gabriel: Marked for life? Are your tribal marks attractive or repulsive? In: Vanguard. October 18, 2014, accessed April 1, 2020 .
  4. ^ A b Chinwe Okafor: Killed by Modernity. September 20, 2013, accessed April 1, 2020 .
  5. ↑ a b c Abiodun Bello: Tribal marks, a people's identity. (No longer available online.) In: New Telegraph. February 10, 2015, archived from the original on May 22, 2015 ; accessed on April 1, 2020 (English).
  6. ↑ Carol B. Ember, Melvin Ember: Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology . Springer Science & Business Media, New York / Boston / Dordrecht / London / Moscow 2004, ISBN 0-306-47754-8 , pp. 1032 (English, google.co.uk [accessed April 1, 2020]).
  7. ↑ Temitayo Famutimi: civilization pushes tribalmark makers out of job. (No longer available online.) In: The Punch. December 24, 2014, archived from the original on May 21, 2015 ; accessed on April 1, 2020 (English).
  8. ↑ a b James Odunbaku: The Use of Tribal Marks in Archaeological and Historical Reconstruction . In: Research on Humanities and Social Sciences . No. 6 , 2012, p. 253 (English).
  9. ↑ a b Victoria Ozohu Mayaki: Nigeria: Tribal Marks - Our Lost Heritage. In: All Africa. March 5, 2011, accessed April 1, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Abraham Ajibade Adeleke: Intermediate Yoruba: Language, Culture, Literature, and Religious Beliefs . Trafford Publishing, Bloomington, Indiana 2011, ISBN 978-1-4269-4909-8 , pp. 174 ff . (English, google.com [accessed April 1, 2020]).
  11. ^ Tribal marks my ID card - Obasanjo. In: The Nation. November 3, 2014, accessed April 1, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Tracey E.Hucks: Yoruba Traditions and African American Religious Nationalism . University of Mexico Press, Albuquerque 2012, ISBN 978-0-8263-5077-0 (English, google.co.uk [accessed April 1, 2020]).
  13. ↑ Amanda Ibironke: The Yoruba Tribal Marks. (No longer available online.) In: The Voyce. January 23, 2014, archived from the original on May 21, 2015 ; accessed on April 1, 2020 (English).
  14. ↑ Toyin Falola, Fallou Ngom: Facts, Fiction, and African Creative Imaginations . Routledge, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-415-80316-8 (English, google.co.uk [accessed April 1, 2020]).
  15. ↑ Doyin Adeoye: burden The, the anguish: Tribal marks in modern Nigeria. (No longer available online.) In: Nigerian Tribune. May 21, 2013, archived from the original on May 21, 2015 ; accessed on April 1, 2020 (English).
  16. ↑ Caroline Hoffmann: Nigeria: Drawn by tribal scars. In: Weltspiegel. DasErste, January 12, 2020, accessed on March 29, 2020 .