The practice of tattooing has become very popular. Many people regard this as a modern invention but in fact it is an ancient practice. Tattooing was particularly common among the tribes of western Africa. It is still practiced today but its frequency has declined. Facial tattoos or scars were originally used to identify the members of a tribe or family. In the days of slavery parents had their children tattooed to be able to identify them if they were captured by slave traders. Scarification also served as a puberty rite for young girls. Hunters and warriors had their courageous deeds etched on their bodies. In the Yoruba tribe it was believed that the relatives of the dead should bear a mark of sorrow called the ‘osilumi’.  For many tribes scars were purely an aesthetic pleasure.

There are many ways of making scars. To make a raised, spherical scar a hook is inserted into the skin which is then cut. As the skin heals a round, raised scar is produced. To make deep scars a thin strip of skin is removed while cutting. To make raised scars the tribes of Nigeria inserted palm leaf padding into the cuts, soot or oil was then rubbed into the wound until it healed.

Several substances were used to create different coloured tattoos. This was in the days before coloured inks were freely available. The most commonly used substance was soot, sometimes mixed with alcohol or oil. Soot mixed with tiro (native antimony) rubbed into the cuts produced a blue-black effect. Leaf juices were squeezed and rubbed unto the bleeding marks to give the mark a green color. A blue coloured juice was sometimes used, as well as gunpowder. 

For women the common tattoo sites were the abdomen, face arms and legs. Men preferred to have their faces and upper arms tattooed.