6 distinct ways African communities displayed their identity

By Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures, CC BY-SA 3.0,

Body Scarring

A number of West African and Central African tribes scarred their bodies as a marker for identification, pride and esteem. It could also show other aspects of the person such as lineage, religion, economic and social status in the community and so on.

RELATED STORIES

VaDoma, the Zimbabwean ostrich tribe with rare 'two-toed' population

African American artist immortalises Nat Turner's slave rebellion using quilt

Skin bleaching isn’t passe in Africa, it’s just been re-branded

10 powerful times enslaved Africans rebelled to show that slavery was not a choice

The Ko community of Burkina Faso, Mangbetu tribe of Congo, the Sara of Chad as well as a number of tribes in South Sudan and Sudan are among communities that practised scarring.