Don't worry, I brought my own razor

Scarification has a long tradition in Benin.  There are different meanings for the marks--some show which family or tribe you belong to, some are done in times of sickness as a method of healing, and others are done during ceremonies for protection against sorcery and evil spirits. Check out a couple examples of different styles of facial scarring:

Heather and I have made friends with a traditional healer in a small village community just outside of Parakou called Korobororou. We told him we were interested in a scarification ceremony and set up the date.  It was quite the ordeal.  We brought a chicken as a gift to be sure we were in the good graces of the spirits/community and, of course, our own razors for hygiene purposes.

So we started with a ceremony.  The elders of the village prayed for our health, safety, and well being while in Benin.  They then passed some blessed water over the sacred ground area and had us take a sip (we did our best to not actually swallow much of it--there were all kinds of things floating in the bowl).  They then tossed cola nuts and let the weak pieces fall off and had us eat the strong pieces that stayed together.  The cola nuts are extremely caffeinated and taste very bitter.  They continued with a few minutes of water splashing and prayers.

Step 1: We discussed where to make the cuts.  We had our ideas in mind, but they made some adjustments.  They did not want to do anything right along the spine and preferred that we made the cuts in groups of 3, and in a triangular form.

Step 2: Make the cuts with the razor.



Step 3: Let the blood start coming out a bit to make sure the cuts are deep enough.



Step 4: Rub in the ash.  This was the most painful part.



Step 5: Let it clot.



Here we are with our ceremony team right after it was finished.

 

and a couple weeks later they are finally looking more normal!  Not sure how long they'll stick around for but it's nice knowing that I'll have a daily reminder of Benin when I'm elsewhere.