Scarification
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What is scarification?
1. The act or process of scarifying
2. A mark/ marks made by by scarifying
What is the ethno cultural context of scarification?
The practice of scarification is most common in shedding of blood cultures such as Papua New Guinea and the Maori Region, where the shedding of blood summons the gods - good and evil spirits.
"In Papua New Guinea, scarification is an initiation rite of passage for young men, where they believe that crocodiles created humans." (National Geographic, 2010, p. 2).
Not only does this ritual symbolize a rite of passage, it is also a way in which the community can justify themselves with the gods that they worship. Most of these religions consist of the people sacraficing something of themselves or going through intense physical pain in order to gain acceptance in the eyes of their gods.
According to National Geographic (2010), "The initiates chest, back, and buttocks are sliced with a bamboo sliver to test their strength and self discipline. The resulting scars respresent teeth marks of the crocodile that "swallowed," the young man in the ceremony." (p.1). Although the god that they worship is not specifically recognized, it seems to have taken the form of a crocodile.
Another culture where they practice scarification, is in Australia, mainly amoung the Aboriginal peoples who live there. However, this form of scarification that they practice has been restricted almost entirely to parts of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.(National Geographic, 2010, p.2).
In these tribes men and woman are given these scars between the ages of 16 and 17 years old, on their chests, shoulders and bellies. If a tribal member is "clean-skinned," they are not permitted to trade, sing ceremonial songs or participate in tribal activities. (National Geographic, 2010, p. 2).
To conclude, although native cultures are not the only ones who use scarification, the practice itself, reflects the different native cultures in that they all use it as a right of passage in one way or another.
What is the history of scarification?
The history of scarification is very similar to the history of tattooing, maybe even the exact same. They have both been used to mark slaves and criminals in the past, although this is no longer a way of life, and they have both been ways of expressing oneself. However there are some differences between these two methods, the first being, that scarification is a rite of passage in many native cultures as described above. The Maori people of New Zealand, use Moko, which is a facial scarification produced by rubbing ink into the cut. Each Moko is unique to the individual, and may serve as a type of personal signature.
The rest of the history of scarification is directly tied in with the history of tattoos, which you can find on the very first page of this website.
1. The act or process of scarifying
2. A mark/ marks made by by scarifying
What is the ethno cultural context of scarification?
The practice of scarification is most common in shedding of blood cultures such as Papua New Guinea and the Maori Region, where the shedding of blood summons the gods - good and evil spirits.
"In Papua New Guinea, scarification is an initiation rite of passage for young men, where they believe that crocodiles created humans." (National Geographic, 2010, p. 2).
Not only does this ritual symbolize a rite of passage, it is also a way in which the community can justify themselves with the gods that they worship. Most of these religions consist of the people sacraficing something of themselves or going through intense physical pain in order to gain acceptance in the eyes of their gods.
According to National Geographic (2010), "The initiates chest, back, and buttocks are sliced with a bamboo sliver to test their strength and self discipline. The resulting scars respresent teeth marks of the crocodile that "swallowed," the young man in the ceremony." (p.1). Although the god that they worship is not specifically recognized, it seems to have taken the form of a crocodile.
Another culture where they practice scarification, is in Australia, mainly amoung the Aboriginal peoples who live there. However, this form of scarification that they practice has been restricted almost entirely to parts of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.(National Geographic, 2010, p.2).
In these tribes men and woman are given these scars between the ages of 16 and 17 years old, on their chests, shoulders and bellies. If a tribal member is "clean-skinned," they are not permitted to trade, sing ceremonial songs or participate in tribal activities. (National Geographic, 2010, p. 2).
To conclude, although native cultures are not the only ones who use scarification, the practice itself, reflects the different native cultures in that they all use it as a right of passage in one way or another.
What is the history of scarification?
The history of scarification is very similar to the history of tattooing, maybe even the exact same. They have both been used to mark slaves and criminals in the past, although this is no longer a way of life, and they have both been ways of expressing oneself. However there are some differences between these two methods, the first being, that scarification is a rite of passage in many native cultures as described above. The Maori people of New Zealand, use Moko, which is a facial scarification produced by rubbing ink into the cut. Each Moko is unique to the individual, and may serve as a type of personal signature.
The rest of the history of scarification is directly tied in with the history of tattoos, which you can find on the very first page of this website.