Between the Lines: Facial Tattoos and the Chaouia

by Yasmin Bendaas

Sepia-tinted photos from over 50 years ago show striking facial tattoos of women from indigenous populations in Algeria. But documentation of these women has faded like the aged photographs. In Algeria today the actual practice of facial tattooing is disappearing along with the older generation. One particular indigenous group losing this cultural marker is the Chaouia of the Aurès Mountains in northeastern Algeria. This project from Pulitzer Center student fellow Yasmin Bendaas captures incredible portraits and stories from Chaouia women and investigates the origins and disappearance of tattooing, especially with the advent of literacy and Islam's spread. *We recommend viewing the book on the Kindle Fire.

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2013

Reviews

[ismahane ❖ · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative and short read. many of the accounts retold throughout by the researcher are very much like that of my nan. she also had traditional facial “ousham” done to look all pretty and cute when she was, i believe, 10 years old and had additional tattoos done on her arm and leg to quell extreme pains.
my only gripe with the piece is the comparison/correlation with iraqi tattoos throughout. like miss ma’am; all indigenous cultures have facial tattooing traditions, and many of the tattoos are quite similar. let’s focus on the topic/indigenous group at hand!

[Mazigh Yahia · Rating 5 out of 5]

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