Tribal mark has being an age long tradition and to a large extent forms a part of the African tradition. In some parts of Nigeria, tribal marks are seen as a rich cultural heritage for various reasons.
Tribal marks were as a result of different things like religious beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation which could be either hearsay or just the societal norm of the community which is normally traced to a deity. For instance, in the Yoruba culture, if a woman continues to have still birth, the child is given marks on a certain part of his/her body to avoid that, possessed, child from coming back.
However, in the ancient times too tribal marks were seen as a good means of identification of people from different communities. Members of the same village, clan, or lineage, home town always carry the same tribal marks and so a visitor can be easily recognised. Also, parents used tribal marks to identify their children, thus it is a way of a father acknowledging the authenticity of their children. In addition, the tribal marks were used as a sign of identification during the civil war in Nigeria as some people have testified that their tribal marks saved them at the time.
Every tribe in Nigeria has its own form of tribal mark, some are parallel on either of the cheeks, others run horizontal while some others are either by the lower part of each cheek near the jaw etc. Each ethnic group in Nigeria has its own distinctive model or pattern of tribal marks. For instance when you see a person with vertical mark on the cheeks it shows the person is from Ondo State, when you see a person with short vertical mark on both cheeks that person is either from Ebira land, or some part of Bassa land.
Also when you see a person with tiny short horizontal marks close to the mouth, you can say such person is from northern region, however, it is interesting to say that some tribes even though they are not in the same region, have similar tribal marks. However, tribal marks help both the educated and uneducated to at a glance say a person’s ethnic group, town or clan.
Though there were advantages of these tribal marks during the war period, there are also disadvantages of the marks. The ancient tradition of tribal mark is fast becoming a thing of the past and it is gradually being replaced with tattoos for both beauty and so called spiritual purposes.
The popularity of the tribal marks is gradually fading as the young people who have tribal marks have come to conclusion not to give their children tribal marks. And this can be attributed mainly to the pain of the tear and the risk of being infected, coupled with the mockery that often comes with the tribal marks.
As a result, however, tribal marks are becoming very hard to find these days for different reasons which can be traced to the introduction of the western culture and influence which brought an end to so many traditional practices. Also, the incidence of HIV/AIDS which medically is believed can be contracted not only by sexual intercourse, but also by sharing sharp object, has added to the fading away of tribal marks traditions.
While the custom of tribal marks is losing its ground, many individuals, who have tribal marks, have different ideas and comments on the issues of tribal marks. Some people, especially our elders, still see it as a good way of identification, while the young generations see it as an out dated custom as they now prefer tattoos instead. This is because they believe that tattoos are trendier than tribal marks. However, some people still wear tribal mark with pride as they see it as being patriotic to their native land and make them feel like they are true sons of their community.
The tradition of tribal marks has faded away and tattoos are fast replacing it, but tattoos can’t be used for identification because they are most times not visible. Now what is fast replacing tribal marks and people’s identification is the way people behave and how they handle things.