Although some people may think that the art of scarification – whereby the skin is deliberately cut or peeled away to allow for a healed permanent image on the body – is relatively new. Western society has adopted this style as an extreme step up from tattoos and piercings which have taken common place amongst society over recent years. However, this art form dates back to a century previous and was celebrated most amongst the tribes of Africa, Ghana and The Congo.

Scarification was used as a way to autobiographically and ritualistically present the individuality of a person to another. This can range from puberty to marriage, hunting to war kills and even the attractiveness of a tribesperson. Women who had scarified their stomachs and breasts showed a willingness to bear children, proving their pain levels were high enough to encounter childbirth and its lasting effect on the body. Men would scar their arms, torso and faces to show masculinity and strength, many who became hunters or warriors would scar themselves after every kill, preserving their achievements to present to fellow males.

The art of creating these scars involved cutting the skin and forcing clay or ash into the wound which would create raised and defined marks once healed. Methods vary depending on the tribe, meaning scars also became a way of identifying a person to their habitat and region.

What interests me most is in the juxtaposition of these scars. Whereas Western society mostly choose to live lives without scars, the tribes folk of Africa use them as an achievement and celebration of a live well lived and assets attained through experience and rituals.

For more images, see http://www.ezakwantu.com/Gallery%20Scarification.htm