tawenza
Forehead Mark / Frontal Tattoo
Also: central mark, third eye, brow sign
Attested Usage
What is documented — academic sources, fieldwork, museum collections
Tribal/clan identification mark - identifies woman's origin
Source:Becker, C. (2006). Amazigh Arts in Morocco
academic · high confidence
Different patterns identify different tribes/clans
Protection of the mind/thoughts - guarding the space of thinking
Source:Fieldwork documentation
fieldwork · medium confidence
Oral Interpretations
What people say it means — often multiple, sometimes contradictory
“My mother had this mark, and her mother - it shows where we come from”
— Elderly woman with traditional tattoos, Tafraoute (2018)
“The mark on the forehead stops bad thoughts from entering”
— Woman explaining her grandmother's tattoos, Agadir (2019)
Contemporary Readings
How modern artists, communities, and movements reinterpret today
Symbol of Amazigh feminine heritage and resistance to cultural erasure
By:Contemporary Amazigh women's movement
Context:Documentation projects recording elderly women's tattoos before they pass
Usage Notes
Ritual Use
Applied at puberty or marriage, marks transition to womanhood
Note
These tattoos are now rare - Islamic influence discouraged the practice
Historical Context
Attested since:classical
Facial tattoos documented since ancient times, practice declined sharply in 20th century
Related Symbols
Sources
- Becker 2006
- Fieldwork 2018-2019
Last updated: 2024-06-01