Symbols of the Mystic: Amazigh women and their tattoos (A.Glass and Anina Chahid 2022)

 

Of all the nomadic tribes of the Middle East and North Africa, it is the self named Amazigh or better known under their Greek derived term of Berber, who have represented a unique distinction as the indigenous people of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, by holding up the feminine as a revered goddess in pre-Islamaic culture. It was within the 7th and 8th centuries, when the Arabisation and spread of Islam began to conquer large parts of North Africa and the Middle East, coveting nomadic tribes to Islam, the Amazigh also became part of this Islamic decree in the centuries that followed. Until the natal inhabitants of North Africa began to revolt against Arab law, lead by the Amazigh, who, before turning against their rulers, were treated like second class citizens due to their own distinct Berber practices, which included tattooing and embracing the woman as an equal in tribal decision making. It was in this tumultuous period of Amazigh culture, that a woman rose to the role of the matriarchal warrior, more notably and importantly to Amazigh lore, she was the Berber queen Dihyā, renown for galvanizing the resistance of the indigenous Maghreb tribes of Northwest Africa and in 680 BCE (Before Common Era) she lead a campaign against Muslim rule over the Maghreb region. Dihyā became, as a female Amazigh icon, the beacon of resistance under an oppressor, to which the practice of Amazigh tattooing of young Berber woman was also, beyond its own cultural significance, seen as a rebellious force or as the Arabs titled, in referring to the Berber queen Dihyā, as al-Kāhina, the sorcerer “priestess.” 

The Amazigh practice of tattooing, may have started as early as 1300 BCE, which could have been influenced by the Egyptians, who were tattooing women as far back as 3000 BCE and then later by the Carthaginians (modern day Tunisia), who worshiped the feminine deity Tanith. It was assumed that these 'markings' found on female mummies were to indicate a dancing girl or prostitute, further denigrating the practice of tattoos of the ancient peoples of the Middle East, rewritten to suit the narrative and spread of monotheistic religions such as Islam and Christianity throughout North Africa. It was also used to oppress the feminine of prehistoric times who was venerated as a divine goddess, to which these tattoos in ancient Egypt represented. Writing into history that only low class women received these markings, historians have since argued that all women of Egyptian society may have also had tattoos, later to be theorized, as permanent marks that represented fertility and protection.  Physical amulets to assist in childbirth, in which ritualized tattoos of Egyptian women could have also been applied to the roles of a high priestess, in her reverence of the cult goddess Hathor. 

Despite the influences of Islam throughout the Middle East and North Africa, decreeing that body modification, particularly the act of Berber tattooing as Haram or forbidden act within Islamic law, the practice of tattooing women of the Amazigh tribes continued on and was largely unaffected by Muslim rule throughout the centuries, it was until the colonization of Algeria and Morocco by the French in the late 1900s and into the 20th Century that the decline in the practice of tattooing Berber women occurred. Historians believed that it was partly due to the modernization of Moroccan and Algerian cities, when the Amazigh began to move into the city areas looking for work, leaving behind some of their customs.  However, French colonization throughout Northern Africa may have had a deeper impact, implementing a European moralist viewpoint, which frowned upon facial and hand tattoos displayed on Amazigh women, disregarding a tradition that dates back thousands of years, that not only embodied feminine beauty through their ceremonial tattooing, but celebrated a richly detailed Amazigh culture. It was during the height of occupation by the French up until the 1950s and the emergence of Islamist Revivalist Movements of the the same era, that tribal Berber woman began to retract from being tattooed and the practice began its decline from the 1950s onward.  

The symbolism of Amazigh tattoos are of a distinctly feminine representation, usually at the discretion of the tattooist, who would always be a woman. Each symbol holds a deeper meaning, such as the siyâla, when a young Berber woman begins menstruating – vertical lines, sometimes applied as a palm tree motif, are sketched onto her chin, thought to be in homage of the goddess Tanith. Tattooing of Amazigh women would continue to occur on her body as she matures, such as symbols relating to the Partridge bird, considered a sacred bird under the Amazigh matriarch, reflected in Berber tattoos as a patterned diamond shape, as observed on the bird's face and chest. This tattoo would be placed either in the middle of the forehead, neck or top of their hands, as a visual representation that she is a “good wife”, has sharp eyes and is vigilant against dangers that might affect her family or the greater tribe. Yet, it would be fertility tattoos that became the most important oucham (marks) in warding off evil spirits, known as jnoun, these tattoos were applied around the eyes, mouth, nose, navel and vagina. This cultural importance of amulet tattooing of not just the Amazigh, but of all the Berbers of North Africa, was in their depiction and acknowledgment of prophylactic magic, to avert the evil eye and bad spirits that the Berbers believed travel through the Wind and Earth.  

When studying the Amazigh, like other indigenous tribes throughout the world, it must be done with a respectful curiosity of their history and aesthetics, to be aware that their unique tattoo culture has been entrusted to the remaining Amazigh elders, who still bear these ritualized marks. Although their tattoos may have faded over time, they reveal a dignified honor of being part of Berber history and its empowerment and longevity of the Amazigh woman, to which, these culturally significant patterns of marking the skin have been handed down from generation to generation. Left with a younger generation who may choose not to continue adorning themselves with these striking tattoos, they may instead allow this part of Berber history to gently disappear over time, whilst at the same time never letting it be forgotten.  

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Adrian Glass and Anina Chahid  (2022)