Ritual Scarification

Ritual scarification, a more extreme form of body modification, has been used for hundreds of years around the world for many reasons from community status to a connection to God.

Although seemingly new, ritual scarification has been around for hundreds of years. It began with tattooing in the western Pacific where the natives would cut designs in their flesh then rub black ash in the wound. When the scar healed it would remain blackened. Many of these rites are held sacred even to this day, marking the transformation from child to adult.

Tribes in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea, for instance, use ritual scarification as an initiation rite for the young men in their tribes. Believing that crocodiles are the creators of humans, the resulting rituals surround this notion. The young man will have his chest, back, and rear end sliced open with sharp pieces of bamboo. The scars that form are representational of teeth marks left by the crocodile as it “swallowed” the young man during the course of the ceremony. This practice is meant to test the strength as well as the person’s self-discipline.

The idea of ritual scarification sends chills down the spine of many people, but for others it represents a closeness to God, an expression of their identity or a connection to their ancestors, and even pleasure. Ritual scarification has been used by many cultures as a means to symbolize the passage from child to adult.

Ritual scarification in today’s world can be for all the above reasons and is prevalent among the “modern primitive” sub-culture along with piercings and tattoos. The fascination with this type of body modification comes from the modern, educated man and their interest in primitive societies and their belief that as they’ve become more civil, they’ve lost touch with their roots.

In ritual scarification there are several categories of scarring:

• Branding
• Cutting
• Chemical
• Non-Traditional

Each category of scarification has several sub-types and methods in which to scar the body.

Branding is used by many people for scarification because it’s quick and the healing process is relatively easy. Branding causes scarring through heat to flesh and can involve several techniques:

Strike: A design for a brand is made up of many separate pieces or strikes. These strikes, when completed, will form the final design. Strikes will overlap and can be re-branded.

Cautery: This type of brand utilizes more modern technology like a soldering iron to make the make the burn.

Laser: Although a medical laser could be used, this type of branding refers to a device much like an arc welder. The person is ground and the spark form the device jumps from the device to the skin removing tissue as it goes. This type offers the ability to do fine lines as well as to control the depth.

Probably the most widely seen types of scarification, this method dates back the longest. A mark is made in the skin with a blade and when healed the scar will be raised. Do not confuse this type of scarification with cutting in the clinical sense. Self-mutilation or “cutting” is the basis of a much deeper psychological problem. Methods of cutting ranges by the artist:

Skinning: The artist creates an outline of a design with a very sharp blade then removes the patches of skin. The area heals over creating the intended design.

Clamp & Cut: Prior to skinning, the clamp and cut method involved lifting the skin up with a clamp then cutting it off.

Packing: Although not common in the western part of the world it was used quite extensively in Africa. If an angled deep cut is made it can be packed with clay and other substances. As the scar heals it will either cover the substance or force it out. This is one of the harshest methods of scarification and is also very uneven making the final result look more like an accident than something done for the sake of art.

As the name implies chemicals are used to damage the skin. The results that one gets form chemical scarring can be achieved by less hazardous, safer and much more predictable means like branding. The results are also questionable unless a guide is used like one would have for glass etching.

This method of scarification is done by using friction to remove enough layers of skin in order to create a scar. Although mainly used to make subtle and unraised scars the end result can be of nearly any design or texture. There are several forms of abrasive scarring:

Tattoo Machine: Tattooing works by reciprocating needles constantly moving away skin and adding ink to the wound in layers. When a tattoo artist is “heavy” it can leave more of a scar. This can be done on purpose without the ink.

Mamiya: This technique uses the same principle as the heavy-handed tattoo needle technique, but with a dremel tool and various heads.

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