Ichi (scarification)

An Igbo man with facial marks of nobility known as Ichi[1]

Ichi was a form of facial ritual scarification worn by mainly men of the Igbo people of Nigeria. The scarification indicated that the wearer had passed through initial initiation into the aristocratic Nze na Ozo society,[2] thus marking the wearer as nobility. Echoes of this tradition are found in the contemporary derivative word Ichie, which denotes a member of a class of titled chieftains amongst the Igbo.[3]

  1. ^ Basden, George Thomas (1921). Among the Ibos of Nigeria: An Account of the Curious & Interesting Habits, Customs & Beliefs of a Little Known African People, by One who Has for Many Years Lived Amongst Them on Close & Intimate Terms. Seeley, Service. p. 184.
  2. ^ Jeffreys, M. (1951). "The Winged Solar Disk or Ibo Itεi Facial Scarification". Journal of the International African Institute. 21 (2): 93–111. doi:10.2307/1156462. JSTOR 1156462. S2CID 145398035.
  3. ^ "Ndichie". imeobionitsha.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.