UNCLE, DID YOU FIGHT WITH A LION??

Ever imagine what changes in season could cause? Change in time will be a right answer, but what about change in time? I’m sure you guessed change in culture and way of doing things, you can be so shocked at the revelation of how time and culture has changed and the norms of time past look so awkward at this present age, we’ve heard of the dark age, the medieval, the computer, jet and sorts but I wonder what age we’re entering.

Little Sam just was just visiting Nigeria for the first time with his dad, born in America had little or no knowledge about the African culture,  was struggling to acquaint himself with his temporarily new environment, got the shock of his life when his Dad introduced him to Uncle Shola as the family gathered to have dinner, in a typical rural setting of welcoming their just  returned son, as uncle Shola bent to exchange pleasantries with Sam, the youngster curiously asked “uncle what is this on your face, you fought with a lion?” everybody upon hearing the question busted into laughter, ridiculed Uncle Shola reluctantly said no and took his sit. 

 Tribal marks was used in the olden days as

1.    Mark of identification of the members of a particular clan

a.     Royal family

b.    Slaves

c.     Any other family interested

2.    Fashion

In the times of old tribal marks used to be an enviable accessory for beauty, in fact Yoruba myths have it that the origin was that a certain King named Sango sent two slaves to a distant country on an important mission. In due course they returned, and he found that one slave had achieved successfully what he had been sent to do, while the other had accomplished nothing. The King therefore rewarded the first with high honours and commanded the second to receive a hundred and twenty-two razor cuts all over his body. This was a severe punishment, but when the scars healed, they gave to the slave a very remarkable appearance, which greatly took the fancy of the King’s wives. Sango therefore decided that cuts should in future be given, not as punishment, but as a sign of royalty, and he placed himself at once in the hands of the markers. However, he could only bear two cuts, and so from that day two cuts on the arm have been the sign of royalty, and various other cuts came to be the marks of different tribes.

How could something meant for beauty (at least according to the forefathers) now be a subject of ridicule, it all boils down to the change in time, but now considering tribal mark as fashion, someone once said fashion revolves, so I wonder when tribal marks get back will you be the first to give your child? And probably we will see designers tribal marks like Adidas, Nike, Puma e.t.c on faces.