The first time Akinwunmi travelled to the United kingdom several years ago, he recalled how a little white girl approached him where he was seated at the airport and studied his face. Akinwunmi had four long horizontal lines deeply etched on his two cheeks.
The girl was aged about six. Akinwunmi was initially embarrassed at the way the girl stared at him. Her parents were seated a few yards away and not knowing how to send her away, he decided to engage her in a conversation.
Then, the girl came clean to ask about the marks on his face and he told her he fought and killed a lion. Impressed, she ran back to her parents shouting on top of her voice that she wanted her doll and a biro. She was shouting that she had just met a brave man who had killed a lion.
The little girl drew the attention of many who shifted their gaze to Akinwunmi’s direction and wondered at him. Some of the men even nodded in admiration at his bravery and the little white girl returned, holding her doll and a biro. She lovingly caressed Akinwunmi’s face and the marks on his face before giving him her doll for his autograph.
Now visibly embarrassed, Akinwunmi held her hand and told her he didn’t fight or kill a lion but that the marks on his face were tribal marks he got as a child. On hearing that, the little girl shifted away and screamed in horror, shouting that he was a savage. Her scream attracted airport officials who came to her rescue and found her pointing at Akinwunmi’s tribal marks as the face of a savage.
That was over thirty years ago.
Now, Akinwunmi is 57 years and happily married. He has five kids. None of whom has tribal marks.
“ I cannot subject my children to the embarrassment I suffered over the marks I have on my face. Even in my school days in Nigeria, they called me all sorts of names because of the severe tribal marks my grand parents put on my face. As a young man, I remained a virgin for a long time because the kind of ladies I wanted to date rejected me due to the marks on my face. The greatest thing that happened to me was getting educated and qualifying to be a doctor otherwise it would have been disastrous for me.
It was difficult for me to get a woman to marry, I mean the kind of woman I wanted. The ladies hated the ugly marks on my face. Even my wife till today does not like my tribal marks even though she eventually accepted to marry me. Her attraction then was travelling to live in UK with me but I guess along the line, she began to love me despite my tribal marks”. This is just one of the stories shared by people with tribal marks on their faces many of whom would not give such marks to their children.[/b]
Nowadays, tribal marks have become the dying lore of ancient days. Some of the young people who have it feel resentment towards their parents for giving them such scars in the first place.
[b]During his tenure as Ekiti governor, Fayose banned the inscription of tribal marks in Ekiti. Women are worse off for it. A woman that has four lines each on her cheek may have it tough in getting a husband in the present time no matter how pretty she is.
There have been reports of many who resorted to plastic surgery to reduce the effect of the scars or completely remove them.
Of beauty and heritage.
Across the major and minor tribes in Nigeria, tribal marks have become a way of identification. Such marks reveal instantly, the tribe of anybody who has such a mark. In Yoruba land, tribal marks are an age-long practice of identification of peoples’ origin.
The marks reveal whether one is of Egba, Nupe, Ilaje and other Yoruba origin. Different tribes use these marks and designs as a form of identification, beautification and protection.
These tribal marks are created using sharp instruments such as razor blades, knives or glass and in some cases, flesh is cut from the skin to create a gash, which later heals and leaves a permanent pattern on the body.
In an encounter, Alhaji Adegboye, an octogenarian who had what he described as Egba tribal marks told this writer that in the old days when there were inter-tribal wars, tribal marks were used as a source of identification.
“People who were migrating to other places had these marks given to them as a mark of identification so that whosoever came in contact with them would know instantly where they were coming from. There are tribal marks that tell you instantly that someone is an Egba man, an Ilaje person or an Ijesha man.
There are also big families that have their family marks and wherever they see each other, they would recognise themselves from the marks on their faces or hidden elsewhere in their bodies.
An individual’s tribe or family typically dictates the pattern in which tribal marks are inscribed on their faces, stomach or legs. Specific families are charged with the responsibility of creating these marks. These household names are also used to sing their praises. The skill of making these marks is passed from one generation to another.”
Alhaji Adegboye,had tribal marks not only on his face but also on parts of his body.
“ In my days, they are considered beautiful. Every first son in our family must have a tribal mark. I am a first son and I was given these beautiful marks at birth. My younger ones did not have them. Our first daughter, that is my mother’s first daughter has words tattooed on her chest, arms, and legs.
These words are praise words, which are complimentary phrases about the person they are inscribed on. As she grew up, she also added more tattoos on her neck and arms. My sister has on her arm , a tattoo depicting a man’s name and a heart sign on her hand. Perhaps, she must have been in love when she gave herself that mark. Other parts of her body had drawings that I couldn’t decipher.
“ My grandmother also had a lot of marks. Apart from the tribal marks on her face, she had several marks all over her body that as a boy, I used to be struck by how she withstood the pains.
“ Ironically, things have changed. None of my children or grandchildren has any tribal mark. I lived in London and had my children over there. I would have loved my first son to have a tribal mark but the British doctors would not hear of it.
And because my children were all British citizens, we couldn’t give them the marks at that time. When we returned home to Nigeria, my wife passed on and I married another one. But she is not Yoruba and kicked against it.
She quickly reminded me that none of my children from my first marriage had a tribal mark and for peace to reign, I obliged her. She has three children for me and they didn’t have tribal marks”
Looking back, Alhaji Adegboye said his tribal marks did not pose a big challenge to him. “ The women were not crazy about me and I was not a ladies’ man. I was the serious type but when I made up my mind to settle down, I began to approach women. There was a particular lady I wanted to marry but she was a Christian.
She told me pointblank that she would not marry a Muslim especially one with tribal marks. I wooed her but it did not work and because I liked her character, I told my cousin who is a Christian about her and she married him. My cousin didn’t have any tribal marks anyway.
“ That tradition is fading out now. In fact, it has faded out although I still see a few people who wear minor tribal marks. The ones I see these days are not as deep like the one in the past. The young people have also made fancy of tattoos. The entertainers and actors are using it to suit their trades. These days, young people have all manner of designs on their bodies and they call them tattoos but they have rejected tribal marks.”
Although these marks have a long history of tradition and culture, some Nigerians believe the practice of scarification as it is called should be stopped, because they are “barbaric” or unfashionable and antiquated.
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