Scarification

You may have noticed in some of the pictures on this blog and on my facebook some unusual markings on the faces of many of my Nigerien friends.

A traditional practice in many parts of Niger is to engrave markings on your face. These scars are done at a child’s naming ceremony, which occurs a week after a baby is born. Different areas in Niger mark people in different ways. For example, Hausa people from the Dogondouttci area often have two long marks across each cheek, beginning at the end of your lips and extending all the way to your ears. Many Zarma women form the Tilaberri region have a small vertical line on each cheek.

The way the practice has been described to me, scarification is an ancient tradition that began as a way to ensure that warriors, who often traveled far from their homes, would always be able to identify people from their area and find their way back no matter how far away they were.

The scars are really beautiful. When I first heard about this practice I thought it seemed like an unnecessary practice, but it’s really no different than tattoos or piercings in the U.S.

*Author’s note—due to my slow internet connection, I am unable to post pictures of these scars but stay tuned...