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In Tanzania, there is a tribe, called the datoga, in which scarification has been practiced for hundreds of years. Dedicated to herding, these people are true experts in body art.
In this article we will get to know the datoga a little more thoroughly and we will know their art in the scarification. Who knows, they might inspire you in one of your future pieces!
An ancient people
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The Datoga live in Tanzania and, as we said, they are mainly engaged in herding. Their lifestyle has hardly changed in hundreds of thousands of years, so it is very rare to find someone who knows how to read and write in this community (which, on the rebound, causes that there are hardly any texts written in their language).
Centennial enemies of the Maasai, one of the most prominent leaders of this people was Saigilo, who lived in the nineteenth century. Saigilo is said to have been an expert in magic and divination, and many of the prophecies he made mark the daily life of his people even today. In addition, he made some surprising predictions, such as that in the future it would not be necessary to go looking for wood very far. And so it has been: since the middle of the XNUMXth century, this area of Africa has been full of eucalyptus trees after a reforestation campaign by the English.
The datoga and scarification
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One of the physical characteristics that most distinguishes this town is scarification. As you probably already know, this body modification technique consists of making small cuts in the skin. As the signals heal, they form an aesthetic pattern.
It is common, in the case of the Datoga and other African tribes, to find scarification mainly on the face. It is considered to have a mainly aesthetic use, in which attractive attributes of the body are enhanced, like the eyes. Still, it is also common for mothers to use scarification as a kind of talisman to protect their children and as a system to eliminate toxins from the body.
The Datoga are one of the current tribes in which scarification is not only aesthetic, but also magical. Tell us, did you know this interesting town in Africa? What do you think about this method of body modification? Let us know in a comment!