tribal scarification - Maori warriors tribal scarification

The Cultural Body
Body AlterationsScarification
Maori Moko

Scarification - Scarification is a permanent form of body decoration that perfects the body in much the same way as cosmetic surgery. It involves puncturing or cutting patterns and motifs into the dermis or upper levels of skin. When the cuts heal, scars remain. Different tools produce different types of scars, some subtle, some pronounced. For example, cutting the skin with a razor and then pulling the skin up with a fishhook or thorn yeilds large, raised keloids (scars). Soot, used as a sterile irritant, can be rubbed into the open wounds to make the scarring even more prominent.

Scarification, an important body art for people of many sub-Saharan African cultures, often communicates elements of the cultural system and religious beliefs of the community. Scarification may also exhibit the enduring emotional states of the wearer, such as sorrow or well-being. Among the Baule people of the Ivory Coast, scarification is the ultimate mark of civilization; without these designs, a person is not considered a member of the community. Other cultures scarify to beautify the body. The Tiv, a Nigerian group, practice scarification primarily for aesthetic reasons, for scarification alters or enhances facial features.

The effects achieved through scarification are highly valued but the procedure itself is painful. Beautiful and complex designs depend not only on the artist's skill, but on tolerance of pain. A woman's eagerness to bear the pain of scarification is taken to indicate her emotional maturity and willingness to bear children. In many cultures, scarification serves as an emblem of the strength, fortitude, and courage of both men and women. As a result, scars elicit society's admiration.

The art of scarification is changing in Africa and elsewhere. Pressure by the church and state, the encroaching urban values, and the widespread adoption of clothing contribute to the dwindling of this practice. In many communities, scarification patterns can now be seen only on the elderly.    

In many cultures, women have more elaborate and numerous scarification patterns than men do. Sometimes the first scars a young woman receives are on her abdomen, emphasizing her role in childbearing. Scarification among southeastern Nuba is timed around women's physiological changes such as puberty or childbirth. Likewise, scarification in the Ga'anda community of Nigeria signals the passage between life stages such as betrothal (engagement) and marriage. For example, scars are applied to a young girl's forehead, when her future husband makes bridewealth payments to her parents.

Tooth Alterations
Many cultures alter the shape or alignment of the teeth. Such enhancements include pulling teeth, filing them horizontally, filing them to sharp points, dyeing them, and repositioning them.

One modification-filing the teeth to a sharp point-is practiced in several African countries. Whereas both the lower and upper teeth can be filed, most commonly it is the upper incisors that are shaped. This procedure is often carried out at puberty or just prior to marriage.

North Americans commonly straighten their teeth by wearing braces before or during adolescence. Braces (plastic or metal appliances placed on the teeth and then tightened) achieve the Western ideal of perfectly straight teeth. They are usually worn for at least one year to accomplish the ultimate goal, a beautiful smile. Interestingly, adults currently comprise about twenty-three percent of all orthodontic patients.

Maori moko
In New Zealand, highborn Maori males endured the elaborate and painful facial tattooing known as "moko." Women tattooed their lips and chin only. A master tattoo artist cut the designs into the skin with tiny chisels. The artist learned his profession through apprenticeship and practiced on slaves and commoners. To secure the services of the best craftsmen, men showered them with gifts of guns, clothes, food and even slaves.

Because tattoos were carved into the skin, the surface was left rough to the touch - much like scarification. The process caused serious swelling around the mouth which made eating nearly impossible; until the swelling subsided a special feeding tube for liquified food was used.

Tattooing made Maoris' bodies "complete." A person was considered naked without a tattoo. The free-flowing, blue-black curved patterns encoded many meanings. They identified chiefs and social groups, symbolized aggression and ferocity, and not least of all, disguised the wearer's age. However, the most important function of the moko was to mark a person's individuality. Some chiefs used their moko as a signature on land treaties with Europeans.

During fierce tribal warfare in the 1820s, many Maori tribesmen were killed. The conquering tribe sold the decorated heads of enemies to European traders. In the late nineteenth century, the practice of moko died out. Some Maori women, however, still wear facial tattoos.

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