Morocco's Amazigh tribal tattoos succumb to religious shifts: Video

Once considered a cherished symbol of beauty and identity, these intricate markings are now disappearing, with many attributing the decline to evolving cultural and religious beliefs.

In the past, women like 67-year-old Hannou Mouloud proudly bore these tattoos, passed down through generations. “When I was six, we were told that henna tattoos were pretty adornments, especially when we went to the Ahidus,” she told AFP, referring to a traditional Berber performance. The tattoos, often applied using charcoal and needles, were a painful yet deeply meaningful ritual symbolising womanhood and community.

However, this practice has largely vanished in recent decades. Morocco, home to the largest Amazigh population in North Africa, has seen shifts in religious attitudes that discourage body modifications like tattoos. 

Abdelouahed Finigue, a geography lecturer and researcher, points to the growing influence of Salafist interpretations of Islam, which reject tattoos, as a major factor. "Salafist thinking wrongly asserts that any woman who gets a tattoo will go to hell, a claim that has no basis in the Koran or religion," he explains.

The tattoos once held deeper meaning beyond their aesthetic value. Like the traditional Berber Handira, a unique garment, tattoos were often tied to specific tribes, serving as markers of identity. "Tattoos are distinguished by their symbols and shapes, expressing membership of a specific community and their own identity," says Bassou Oujabbour, a member of the local development association AKHIAM.

Now, women like Hannou Mouloud and Hannou Ait Mjane, who are in their twilight years, carry the legacy and memories of a practice that once defined their sense of belonging and womanhood.