Different tribes that live in Africa love making their special marks and scarification. Sometimes their ‘body tattoos’ look exciting and mysterious, sometimes the scars look scary. Let us look at the main Igbo tribal marks meaning.

Igbo tribe is definitely one of the biggest tribes in the whole Africa. Of course, this ethnic group has to distinguish itself from other communities. That is why it uses different tribal marks in Nigeria.

Here are the main reasons for tribal identification through marks and scarification:

1. Parents wish their kids to be identified as Igbo tribe members from birth.

2. Marks are added temporarily for spiritual reasons, for festivals and celebrations.

3. Scarification or marks are meant to beautify tribe members.

4. Marks and scars can be used to distinguish between royal and free children.

We should mention that after the colonization of Nigeria experts see a decline in usages of tribal marks by ethnic groups, including Igbo people.

Photos please.

Tribal marks

Igbo tribe, just like any other African tribe, loved to identify its members since birth. When a new child was born, his or her family usually added tribal marks to show which ethnic group the baby belonged to and what his or her family lineage was.

European trends that influence Nigeria and Igbo tribe make scarification and marks outdated, but you can still understand the main Igbo tribal marks meaning because body tattooing is used during holidays all across the country.

Main tribal marks used by Igbo people:

1. Uri (Uli)
2. Egbugbu
3. Nsibidi
4. Ogbanje scar
5. Nki
6. Ichi

ogbanje marks

What do they mean?

Uri marks

Uri are colorful drawings made on the skin with dark and light dyes, usually of yellow, black, white, and brown colors. Their main meaning is to make a woman beautiful and attractive and ready for tribe holidays. Uri or Uli tribal marks are mainly used for various events and celebrations. They are temporary lines that create various shapes on female bodies, hands, and legs, and last for approximately 7 days.

It is curious that Uri drawings can serve not only as tribal marks for celebrations but also as cute mural decorations on Igbo

The ùrì body art of a lady who may be from Isuochi (as the album was labelled) [cropped]. Photographed by G. I. Jones, 1930s.

Egbugbu marks

Back in the old days, Igbo tribe members added Egbugbu signs to faces and other parts of the bodies to mark their people as slaves or free people. Different designs were used depending on the village where the new baby was born

Nsibidi marks

While Nsibidi is mainly used in metal designs, pottery, headrest, wall drawings and ceramic stools, some Igbo people add Nsibidi symbols as body tattoos. There are over 500 known Nsibidi signs with their own meaning and they are all hundreds of years old.

Nsibidi tattoos used by some Igbo tribe members can have many different meanings, from love affairs to sacred sense.

Ogbanje mark

Some Igbo people believe that their only way to protect kids from being taken away by evils (called ogbanje) is to leave a scar on their bodies.

Nki marks

Some tribe members add Nki markings to their faces and bodies to show everyone that they are strong and are not afraid of pain.

Usually, these signs are green and made with a needle. They do not mean any special status, but many people are proud to add these Igbo markings.

Ichi scarification

If Uri are tribal marks worn by women, Igbo men usually wear Ichi on their faces. These male marks always meant the high social class of their owner. Those Igbo men who have Ichi décor on their face are allowed performing various rituals and give titles to influential tribe members.

You should learn about 2 type of Ichi marks:

Agbaja – these marks (moon-like circles and semicircles) are preferred by members in Nkanu and Awgwu territories.
Ndri – this decoration (sun-like carved lines that go from forehead to male chin and across cheeks) is usually used by people from Awka-Nri territories.

Many experts are sure that Ichi scarification has nothing to do with tribal marks. These scars mean privilege to their owner, they are created to outline the special status, high rank, nobility of a man, etc.

Getting Ichi scar was painful and meant to test male courage (children and adults were not allowed to make a sound), because the skin was cut out with a knife with no medications given to the tribe member and often such procedures could last for over an hour. It took wounds much time to heal, and the scars stay with their owner until the end of his life.

Okoye, photographed at Agukwu Nri by Northcote Thomas, c. 1911. MAA Cambridge. The marks on his face are known as ichi, given to the people of Nri by tradition.

You have learned the main Igbo tribal marks meaning and saw photos of their facial marks and scarification patterns.

While many Africans continue tattooing their faces and body these years, such traditions were more common in the past. Modern ‘tattoo’ drawings are mainly used for festivals and are loved by tourists, while scarification slowly becomes an out-of-date ritual.

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Ùlì Mark

An Igbo girl from Nibo, present-day Anambra State, with ùlì designs on her skin. Photographed by Northcote Thomas c. 1911. MAA Cambridge.


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An Igbo man from Agukwu Nri decorated with what appears to be ùlì, a semi-permanent dye from a plant and a system of symbols of the same name. Photographed by Northcote Thomas, c. 1910-11. MAA Cambridge.

The Winged Solar Disk or Ibo ItΣi Facial Scarification

Ichi marks on an Igbo person

A man in Alaigbo (Igboland) in Pictures

An ancient Igbo man Mark

Igbo man with ichi markings on his face. Hair plaited.

Ichi Mark

Igbo woman with full-face ichi marks, Iwollo, 1983. Photo: Herbert Cole.

Northcote Thomas, turn of the 20th century, in what is now Anambra State, Nigeria.

The only gallant man for the picture gallery man for don fall many puna for 19 century

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waiting for contrary opinion

Ndiigbo don't do tribal marks.

Ichi is a form of religious /status scarification mark.
It's something an individual decides voluntary to take as an adult, you don't give it to a child. And only few people take them. Because the process is usually very painful and there were cases of post procedure infection and fever.

Uri are simply body paintings, like tattoos with ink that over time wash off. They are not body scars.

Egbugbu is done with chalks and washes off after use, same as Nsibidi ones

Ogbanje marks are usually just ond line on the face region close to eyes on both sides of the face. You will hardly notice them, they are also given to children who were too sickly during infanthood or early adulthood .

On the whole. Ndiigbo are not into body scarification.

Quiet interesting, informative and educative thread. I never new Igbo at any point in time valued or had the culture of facial scarification as achieved in most Nigerian and African cultures.

By the way, the Ogbanje tribal mark- the belief and motive behind it is very similar to that of Yoruba culture. The Abikus (probably translatable to Ogbanje) are given certain marks be it on their face or any part of the body. The belief is that such act will make the Abikus be denied among his piers (fellow Abiku) and prevent him from going back when next the mother gives birth to him. They even see it as a punishment and a means if retaliating Abiku's wickedness to their parents.

Igbo Amaka



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgxeQKF9Cys

hello, can you guilde me to a document where i can see the different uli marks and their inteerrpretation?

pazienza:
Ndiigbo don't do tribal marks.

Ichi is a form of religious /status scarification mark.
It's something an individual decides voluntary to take as an adult, you don't give it to a child. And only few people take them. Because the process is usually very painful and there were cases of post procedure infection and fever.

Uri are simply body paintings, like tattoos with ink that over time wash off. They are not body scars.

Egbugbu is done with chalks and washes off after use, same as Nsibidi ones

Ogbanje marks are usually just ond line on the face region close to eyes on both sides of the face. You will hardly notice them, they are also given to children who were too sickly during infanthood or early adulthood .

On the whole. Ndiigbo are not into body scarification.

Very ignorant. You cannot be Igbo because some or most of the bodily marks are known to most Igbo and some non-Igbo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60iRVhmxeIM

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60iRVhmxeIM

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1. Ndi-Igbo no dey get tribal face marks. Those scarifications belong to Ndi-Yoruba. Igbo have smooth fine face, skin color closer to whites as Jews and tattoos.

BTW, Nsipidi are not Igbo, try Efik and Ibibio.