Body Adornment Practises in Nigerian Culture a Multi-Ethnic Investigation

Abstract

Introduction Man is by nature rational. This implies that his actions are usually not fortuitous. Man’s use of body adornment is thus a reasoned and deliberate attempt to leverage himself psychologically. As the only living creatures who are aware of their own selves, human beings use their bodies as mediums of artistic expression, by endowing the skin with special significance. Through the use of a precise iconography, ‘body’ therefore becomes message with its decorations symbolising a wide range of meanings. Body adornment is a significant cultural activity which is widely practiced by the many ethnic groups which are found in the vast continent of Africa. Some of these decorations are made in form of temporary body designs, while others are permanent body designs. These body designs emphasis fixed social, political and religious roles. Body adornment in most African societies has been known to bestow a specific role in the community, celebrate the passage into sexual maturity, or confirm spiritual experience. Body designing, more than any other art, tends to indicate social status and social structure and they nearly always follow aesthetic as well as social canons (Hewitt 15). In many traditional societies, in which climate and custom permit scant clothing, body designing is common and is considered to be artistically and socially valuable. As Trowel (45) observes: The exposure of more parts of the body, because of their hot climate, made the Africans skillfully decorate the body.

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