Origin of the facial tattoo of Berber women

Tattoos in a tribal environment serve both to communicate and aesthetically. They can be interpreted as the innate talent for expression that each one possesses, as signs of social or religious belonging or also to calm the ills of physical or spiritual illnesses.

Always, tattoos are a means of personal identity representation, strongly marked by the idiosyncrasy of each one.

Historically, in the Amazigh or Berber culture, women had the custom of tattooing their faces. Before Islam appeared in North Africa, this was a very common practice of the Berber tribes, even with permanent tattoos. However, these covenants were lost as the faith of Islam penetrated Amazigh societies, since modifying the divine creation is something forbidden or haram in Arabic language.

In the past, body tattoos often served to decorate the openings of the body: eyes, mouth, nose, belly button and vagina. or on the most sensitive or vulnerable body surfaces, such as the hands or feet.

Currently, for the most important rituals and ceremonies, henna is used. With this substance it is possible to replace the original permanent tattoo, since it only remains temporarily on the skin. With these temporary ornaments, women tattoo their hands and feet, therefore the facial tattoo is predicted and remains as something of the past.

To this day, the symbols traditionally used to tattoo the body are still used decoratively in the designs of the rugs that the Berber tribes make. Since all this symbolism is part of its history and its way of interpreting existence.

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