FUNKE OSAE-BROWN writes that Oloola is a generational craft which dates many centuries but modern incursion is making this craft a dying culture
One rainy August morning the Ayankola household at Oke Agunpopo area in Oyo town, Oyo state, South-Western Nigeria, wakes to the noise of the torrents of rain slashing the roof. The frightening noise of the thunder seems to strengthen the agitation within the Ayankola household. This morning, all the young children in this household are lined up for the August visit of the Oloola, a Yoruba word meaning, owner of marks.
“Oloola de o!” (a Yoruba phrase meaning Oloola is here! ) announces the Oloola. He is a dark elderly man with thick tribal marks visible on his face in spite of his sagging skin. He is decked in Buba and Soro, the Yoruba traditional wear with a satchel slung on his shoulder. After exchanging pleasantries with family heads and their wives, he sits on a wooden stool, adjusts his cap and disgorges the content of his bag, a sharp knife, which glitters in the dimly lit hallway, a big snail and some powdery substance, on the floor. The children who seemed unaware of what is about to happen are lined up before him according to their age.
“How many marks do you want on his child’s face?,” asks the Oloola pointing at the first child on the line. “We want you to do Keke for him,” answers the family head. And so, the child’s mother pulls his son to herself and holds him tightly in-between her thighs while the Oloola brings out his surgeon’s knife. On spotting the knife, the child breaks into sobs. But he is quickly assured by the Oloola that knife would do him no harm. And so, the process begins in earnest.
This is just one in a very are cases of households that agree that their children’s faces be marked with the Oloola’s knife. Nowadays, this is no longer the practice as civilisation is making most people have a rethink on tribal marks. This may also be having a direct effect on the Oloola who knows no other trade than decorating people’s faces with facial marks.
The Oloola’s trade, explains Samuel Ogundeji, an Oloola at Ilaka area in Oyo town, dates back to eons of centuries even before the advent of colonialism among the Yoruba people in South-West Nigeria. The trade has cut across different generations. All the descendants of the Oloola know how to do it even the educated ones. It is not a kind of trade that cannot be learnt. It is only those who are born into the Oloola’s household who can practice the trade. However it is strictly a male affair as female children are not permitted to practice it. It’s strictly a male job. It is the practice from inception.
“It is a generational trade known to a particular household called Oloola. Tribal marks is different from any other trade. It’s a generational craft because our fathers handed it down to us. When we have researched into it and we discover that it does not affect religion in anyway. If someone is a tailor, he usually have a store where he operates same for the calabash and others. Where our own trade differs from others is that we have a house call Oloola, an abode of tribal marks, that is our home. It is not that we have a particular place where people can bring their children. Those who have just given birth would come from their respective homes to tell us they want to do tribal marks. And we would go there to grant their wish.”
In time past for most households in Yorubaland, facial tribal marks is like a trademark and a form of identity, a kind of passport and it is a thing of pride for anyone to be spotted with facial marks.
Ogundeji explains that there are different variants of facial marks and each household has a form they are synonymous with. For instance, Keke has different variants. There is Keke of Owu, called Keke Olowu which is common with the Olowu. There is another one called Gombo. This is not synonymous with a particular household as it cuts across different households. There yet another called Meeje meaning Seven. There is another called Pele. Pele is three horizontal lines. There are some facial marks called Ture synonymous with the Olokun Esin household.
Amusa Oladokun, is the Olori Oloola (head of Oloola) of Oyo, he is given this title by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, hence he is the only one has the right to do facial marks for the descendants of the King. “If you see anyone that has six marks on his face it means he is the Alaafin’s child or he is related to him. The Ture, that is their mark that identity. The Keke called Alodi, that is their sign. The Alare who lives up the road, they have Pele with four on each side that is their identity. The other kinds are all over the place. Those with eleven marks are there. They would have eight on one side, with three at the top. There are those with seven, three upward and four at the bottom. There are those with four or eight Baamu. It comes in different forms,” explains Oladokun.
With these variants, Ogundeji says those without tribal marks are often taunted by those wearing them that they cannot afford to pay the bill of an Oloola that is why they are not wearing any mark on their faces. In spite of this, Ogundeji observes that nowadays, people no longer do them.
This dying culture has not only become an issue for the Oloolas as it has become an important topic of discussion even within the four walls of the university. Kehinde Oladeji, an expert in African and Asian Studies and a lecturer in the department of Language, University of Lagos says necessity for facial marks has become irrelevant as a result of modernisation. “Facial marks is for identification during the inter-tribal wars and slavery. It was a simple means of knowing where someone was from, as it is said in Yoruba that a person with tribal marks will not remain missing for too long. Such a person, if separated from his relations during war or other conflicts will meet someone who will identify his town and even his family, through his facial marks,” he explains.
However, such wars no longer exist with the advent of modernism and technology which makes having facial marking decorating the cheeks a thing of the past. Hence Oladeji observes that in most towns in the country, it is difficult to come across tribal marks on the faces of people who are younger than 35 years old. “The culture may linger a while with traditional institutions. But they would let go with time,” he adds.
Demola Dasylva, a doctor of literature at the department of English, University of Ibadan disagrees with Oladeji on this view. Dasylva says facial marks may remain with traditional institutions for a long time to come. “Some aspects of culture are so integrated that you can not change them. Great Britain is a developed democracy. Yet, the monarchy there is accorded so much respect. Of facial marks is a condition for being made an Oba, Emir or Eze in any part of the country, concerned princes will be avoiding scarification at their own risk,” he observes.
In spite of these divergent views, facial marks performs dual roles in the Yoruba culture, first for its aesthetics and second for it’s functionality. Ohiomamhe Elugbe of the Department of Languages, University of Ibadan describes facial marks as mere inoculation against certain diseases while some people make marks on an Abiku child in other to prevent the child from dying again.
Akin Onipede, a visual artist says at a point in Nigerian history, facial marks represents of the highest symbols of pride and identity especially among the Yorubas. This view greatly influenced one of his works he titled: National Award. National Award is a piece which features the Queen of England spotting a facial mark called Meeje. This Onipede explains offers multi-dimensional viewpoints and meanings. “It could be seen from the point of view of a country or people offering distinguished citizens or individuals one of the highest awards in the land such as KBE, OBE, MBE, GCFR, OFR. But then, this will appear normal but an award to the Queen has to be unique and reflective of the culture of the person giving it.” Therefore, tribal marks is the most befitting award that the Queen of England can be given. Onipede’s art is just one of the ways being employed by artists to prevent the total erosion of the vibrant culture of a people.
