Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has explained the historical significance of traditional tribal marks among the Yoruba people, saying they were once used as a means of identification.
Obasanjo made the remarks during an appearance on the Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast, where he discussed the role tribal marks played in the past, particularly during the era of the transatlantic slave trade.
According to the former President, the markings helped people identify members of their communities even after they had been separated from their homes and sold into slavery.
“Tribal marks in those old days were used so that people, even when they were sold into slavery, could identify their own people. That is the purpose of tribal mark,” Obasanjo said.
He also explained that, in the past, having tribal marks was associated with social and economic status, joking that a Yoruba person without one could have been perceived as poor because they could not afford to have the markings made.
“If you are a Yoruba man and you don’t have tribal mark, you must be very poor, because you no get money to make mark,” he said.
The former President’s comments have drawn attention to the historical and cultural significance of traditional facial markings, which were once practised widely among different Yoruba communities.
