Tribal marks is an identity of someone’s root. Different tribes have something peculiar to them. In fact, marks on the face is one of the Yoruba’s cultural heritage. Well, it might not be as common as it used to be; but there are still people with tribal marks you see around.
Before tattoo became a norm, here are the top Yoruba tribal marks:
1. Abaja
Abaja is one of the most prominent tribal marks in Yoruba land. It is very common among the Egba, Oyo, Egbado, Offa, and Osun people. There are various types; it could be two, three or four set of horizontal marks. They are called ‘Abaja merin-merin, Abaja mefa-mefa, and Abaja mejo mejo’. There is also “Abaja Olowu” — it’s inscribed vertically on the horizontal ones.
2. Gombo
Gombo also known as “keke” is a thin vertical line that reaches the head and cheek bone. It is made up of three horizontal lines on the cheeks with a line running from the nose to the parallel lines. Gombo is usually thick and quite common among people from Ogbomosho.
Read Also: Top 5 tribal marks in Hausa land
3. Pele
Pele is a style of tribal mark inscribed vertically on the cheeks. If it is three lines, it’s called “Pele Ife” — that is, peculiar to the Ife people of Yoruba land. Other ones are Pele Ijebu and Ijesha — they are quite short.
4. Jaju
Jaju is a single horizontal short and thick mark drawn on the cheeks. It is very common to Ondo people.
5. Owu
The Owu traditional mark is usually done by the people of Owu in Abeokuta, South-west Nigeria. It consists of six incisions inscribed on the face.
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