Tamazight Louasna Zgrir Chaouia tattoos - Algeria Name: Louasna Zgrir Age at time of interview: 82 Background: I had met Louasna’s sister Rabaiya (Profile #19) before the formal interview. I was happily surprised when Louasna came to the interview because I was not expecting her. Rabaiya had brought her along because Louasna had several tattoos. Since they are sisters, they share the same background (born in Ain M’lila and of Oulad Zouay origin). And as sisters, they were particularly lively in discussion. During the interview they would talk and joke about me taking them back with me to America, just to see what it’s like. Tattoos: Louasna is extensively tattooed. She received her facial tattoos, which are now faded, at a young age (she does not know the exact age). Her forehead tattoo can still be made out as burnous, but her chin tattoo is not clear enough to tell the symbol. She received tattoos on her hand when she was 22 years old. Some dots on her hand she did herself, and a crescent and dot symbol on her foot she did herself. Her left arm is also a full sleeve of symbols, including cinsla, sa’a (clock – photographed below), aghrab (scorpion – photographed below), jamal (camel), mushta (comb), burnous, and the seat of the bride atop a camel. An adasiya made the tattoos she did not do herself. Louasna says the adasiya was from the mountains/Arris region and was Chaouia. Louasna believes the tattoos are disappearing because they are now considered haram and says one of her sisters who had passed away wanted to get rid of the tattoos with acid because they were considered haram. Louasna remembered her sister’s skin became horrible, and it was one of the most extreme cases I had heard of in terms of women trying to have their tattoos removed. Chaouia Identity: As an Arab woman, Louasna shows how much tattoos are a part of the identity of Arab women in the region. She is one of the only women to tattoo herself multiple times. https://chaouiatattoos.wordpress/2013/09/30/profile-20-louasna-zgrir/
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 17:29:31 +0000