An Examination of Fulani Traditional Body Art and Its Contemporary Interpretations in North West Nigeria

Fulani traditional body art, encompassing tattooing, face painting, and scarification practices, constitutes a rich aesthetic system with deep connections to cultural identity, beauty ideals, and rite-of-passage observance, and its documentation in North West Nigeria contributes to the preservation of endangered aesthetic knowledge. This study examined Fulani traditional body art practices and their contemporary interpretations among Fulani communities in Sokoto and Kebbi States, North West Nigeria. A qualitative ethnographic design was employed, with fieldwork at four pastoral Fulani communities and three urban Fulani settlements. Data collection included in-depth interviews with fifteen elderly women with traditional tattoo knowledge, eight contemporary beauticians adapting Fulani designs, and documentary photography of both traditional and contemporary body art forms. Visual analysis applied design grammar frameworks to identify pattern structure, symbolic reference, and body placement conventions. Results identified twelve distinct traditional facial tattoo configurations, each associated with specific community membership, age-grade identity, and aesthetic ideals of feminine beauty. Among women below thirty years, traditional tattooing was largely discontinued in favour of henna-based temporary versions and cosmetic adaptations. Contemporary beauticians in Sokoto City reported strong commercial demand for Fulani-inspired henna designs from both Fulani and non-Fulani clients. The study concludes that Fulani body art is undergoing significant transformation from ritual identity marker to aesthetic commodity. Recommendations include community-based documentation initiatives and integration of Fulani body art traditions into visual arts curricula at Usmanu Danfodiyo University.

Keywords: Fulani body art, traditional tattooing, aesthetic tradition, Sokoto State, identity art