Berber Tattooing: in Morocco's Middle Atlas

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Known as “ Tricrad “, Amazigh tattoos have various meanings depending on the symbols used by women. We identify at least three primary purposes of Amazigh tattoos. This book is a must-have for those wishing to expand their knowledge of tattoo history, providing a thorough and intimate account of one of its most unique characters.

Each tribe had its "maalema." She is a master in an art peculiar to its clan, which adorned during a painful and lengthy process, the wives and fiancées with magical designs. The symbols' arrangement, meaning, and names differed from those of neighboring tribes, just as the decorations of the carpets or woven fabrics varied. This operation was very painful, then I waited for a week until there was a crust on my face, then I removed it, at this time we can see the final result of the tattoo." Another reason why Amazigh women would tattoo themselves was prophylactic. Indeed, these tattoos served to ward off the evil eye for many. Women used them for therapeutic purposes to cure both psychological and physical ailments.

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Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together. For Muslims, most of the time, the tattoo is proscribed by Islam, symbol of sin and mutilation, adjustment of the divine work, despite its status of immemorial custom, the imams continuing to condemn ancient beliefs in supernatural elements. This is why women, the main users of aesthetic designs on the skin, today use more commonly, for religious reasons, the temporary and non-mutilating henna tattoo. There are many ceremonies associated with Henna, during which it remains very present, even today: the custom of marriage (ritual of the “night of henna”, birth, baptism, circumcision. The first one was purely ornamental. Most Amazigh women were living in the mountains and couldn’t afford jewellery. Thus, they used tattoos to beautify their bodies and faces. Considered a true sign of beauty, mothers encouraged their daughters to tattoo themselves to differentiate their faces from men and make them desirable and attractive.

The decoration of the tattoo is composed almost exclusively of geometric figures and straight, broken lines, most often similar to the patterns of carpets and fabrics of Berber tribes. While traditions vary among tribes, in some communities, a Bedouin girl's tattoos are chosen by her mother and are selected on the basis of a trait the parent would like to see in their child. For example, a dot on the nose means the hope of a long life for the child. Men, among the Berbers, are rarely tattooed, except among the Zemmour, the Beni-Mguild, and the Aït-Youssi.Much more than aesthetic, Amazigh tattoos are a means of expression and relieving the vagaries of life and a sign of identity and belonging. 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. Despite this deep-rooted history, the practice is dying out due to a mixture of increasing religiosity and the spread of western fashions.

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. Berber tattoos were used to determine tribal affiliation and identity, indicate the marital status of women as well as if they were ready for marriage. Aia Leu works from her studio, she moved to Kenmare in Ireland in 1989 and lives near the town in the mountains. The daughter of Felix and Loretta Leu she was born in 1971, she studied figure sketching in Vevey, Switzerland as a teenager. Her paternal grandmother is the Swiss artist Eva Aeppli. They are indigenous inhabitants of that region who came with their own language -Tamazight- culture and religion. Amazighs also share a common heritage and linguistic origin with various dialects such as Tachelhit-Tamazight-Tarifit-Taqbaylit and Tamasheq. This trunk tattoo symbolises the rootedness and connexion between the earth, the sky, the divine, and the world and earth energy.

My friend was blown away when he saw his grandmother and aunties reflected in the images and sketches of Berber women’s leg tattoos. That warmed my heart and made it the kind of gift that keeps on giving. Berber Tattooing is a unique and tender record of the tribal skin art of Morocco’s Middle Atlas. The result of a series of chance encounters, Felix & Loretta’s Leu’s road trip in 1988, opened a doorway into the intimate world of the women of the Berber tribes. In this book, the women tell their individual stories, revealing the traditions of the tattoo in their culture, together with insights into the lives that they led. There is such a rich archive of material throughout the book, from photographs of your travels to letters and interview snippets. Did you recall any particularly fond memories through its creation? Many tattoo designs were of a style and placement on the body so as to offer protection from the evil eye. Indeed the name for Berber tattoos is ‘Jedwel’ meaning Talisman.

At that moment, despite her refusal I decided to do it, I went to a woman tattooer, I did it so that I would be beautiful, but unfortunately my mother and my grandmother did not accept this gesture." These areas of the body were perceived to require protection from the ‘Jnoun’ ( bad spirits) which may try to enter her body and possess her. Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special. Function of purity: The tattoo is associated with the function of purity: as it purifies the human soul from evils and sins, and purifies them from impurities, sins by arousing fear, empathy, repentance and the desire to seek forgiveness … That is to desperate: The tattoo in the sense of scratching and penetrating the skin in the desire to purify, according to a group of rules of rituals and rules of ceremony. Additionally, tattoos are penances and fidelity, loyalty, sincerity, redemption for spiritual fulfillment. Thus, obtaining holiness of soul and attaining perfect transcendence. what it means to cleanse with the intention of attaining spiritual purity thus The tattoo also expresses an intermediate bridge between matter and spirit, between body and sanctuary.

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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. Here, Middle East Eye explores the different tattoo designs of women across the region and the meanings behind them. Amazigh