Berber Tattooing: in Morocco's Middle Atlas

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In some cases, animals were also depicted in tattoos, for instance, the image of a gazelle would demonstrate grace and beauty. Kurdish 'deq'

Here, Middle East Eye explores the different tattoo designs of women across the region and the meanings behind them. Amazigh An interesting lens -- thanks for sharing. It's a shame women have no equality in these societies, but the culture is still fascinating. The basic designs are the basis of all decorative tattoo fantasies and carry names that change when modified or composed according to the art and inspiration of the "maalema." The most common are: the comb, fly wings, fishbone, saw, and pigeon's foot. Furthermore, Maya explains that most Amazigh women living in the countryside had their faces and bodies tattooed. So, as they wished to showcase that they were emancipated, they would refuse to get tattoed and move to the city. For Amazighs, tattoos are generally transmitted from generation to generation, practised by expert women in the Chaouia villages. In the oases of the South, it seems that the women from the same family tattooed each other.But beyond the innovative designs flowing throughout the book, it is Felix’s philosophy, work ethic and outlook on life which strikes the reader. His charisma and energy shine through Loretta’s words. Felix Leu’s consistent pursuit to further his craft is humbling and inspiring.

This book of previously unpublished work, collected nearly thirty years ago is a tribute, to the art of tattoo, to tradition, to family and to love. Tattooing among both men and women is an integral part of Bedouin culture, particularly among those living in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. The palm leaf, just like the palm tree, represents, for some women, the (unspoken) status of “mother goddess,” a source of wealth and a protective figure, like the protective shade of a palm tree.”The Berbers, indigenous to North Africa, have a rich and ancient culture. Their traditional crafts, including jewellery, pottery, weaving, and henna art, hold great value and have been passed down for generations.

Among the Amazigh, tattooing is above all a question of identity! Indeed, the tattoo expresses the cultural and civilizational characteristics of the Berber people, the tattoos make it possible to determine which clan or family belongs to an individual but not that. Traditionally worn by women, Amazigh tattoos are part of the oldest ancestral rites that have persisted since Antiquity before beginning to disappear in the 1940s. But these body designs also have an important symbolic dimension. Some marked an identity belonging to a group, a family, a region. Others signified the marital status of the woman who wears it: widow, single, or newly married. Still others represented animals symbolizing essential values in Berber culture, such as fertility, wisdom or goodness.For women, they might be applied at the onset of puberty or to communicate marital status and other social information.