Scarification is practiced for many different reasons depending on which part of Africa you come from and the cultural beliefs of your tribe.
Below are a number of reasons why scarification is practiced in different parts of the African Continent.
Scarring on the abdomen of women in many tribes is used to denote a willingness to be a mother. Her ability to tolerate the pain of scarring was an indication of her emotional maturity and readiness to bear children.
Scarification can be used for healing a patient changing them from a less desired state to a more desired state. It may help a patient go from victim to survivor.
What is relevant to society varies from culture to culture. These individuals pass through various kinds of rituals which represent death and rebirth and redefine the relationship between self and society through the skin. Most people in certain regions of Africa who have “markings” can be identified as belonging to a specific tribe or ethnic group.
Credit: @watuwoye
