Berber tattoo, tattoos and Berber culture

Tattooing is one of the oldest and most culturally appropriate pre-Islamic Berber rites
Amazigh. A sign of tribal belonging, of social status, but also of eroticism and magic, this mixture of organic pigments and blood has long been a sign of pride for those who wear it.

One of the primary functions of the Berber tattoo was to connect the human and mystical worlds. Called "Al Ayacha", translated as "the one who gives life", it was used in witchcraft to summon demons and jinn. Contrary to the pejorative connotations that superstitious activities may have, Amazigh rituals focused primarily on the conspiracy of the evil eye, as well as healing certain evils, but did not usually walk on the grounds of evil to others. Infants were tattooed at birth to protect them from bad luck and bad eyes

The Amazigh being a multimodal community, differentiate between different members and tribes was
a primordial affair, especially among the ranks of the nomads, was notably the role of tattooing, which through a panel of signs of geometric precision, served the function of distinction.

Amazigh culture, as conservative as it is, yet has a vision of eroticism very specific to it. The codified sensuality of the Amazigh woman through her deeds and gestures, is never manifested by the explicit suggestion but rather through various signs, including tattooing. The rosette, for example, symbolizes the symbiosis of fire and virility and water and fertility, synonymous with man and woman. This is the only tattoo sensual character placed on a visible part of the body of the woman, the rest of the tattoos are found on the chest, breasts, or the lower belly, presages of a sexuality bloomed, of a harmonious conjugal life, but they also serve to heal all the evils related to these aspects there.

The ornamental design of the tattoo is the ancestor of the current henna tattoo. Before, the tattoo rose to the rank of jewel, today the henna tattoo is a traditions still serving the beauty of women.