How much did you know about the powers of the Kanuri tribal Mark's (facial marks) ?Did you know that the Kanuri tribal Mark's are not only for cultural affiliations, cultural identity, beautification,cultural preservation and or reflections of kanuri history, but it was also use for security purposes and served as an international identity equivalent of an international passport. According to a research on the Kanuri people under the theme Kanuri Complete released in 2017 indicates that the Kanuri fasial marks were used as an international identity for individuals travelling outside of the Kanuri kingdom or the Kanem Empire since the Sayfawa Dynasty some 700 to 1000 years back.Please note that some 300 years back and beyond slavery was a very big lucrative business striving not only in Africa, but globally. The victims of slavery then were mostly people belonging to tiny kingdoms who are easily defeated and captured as slaves or longly individuals travelling without any proof of identity qualifying them as affiliates or members of any mighty kingdoms that retaliates when its members are captured as slaves. The Kanem-Bornu empir under the peak of the Sayfawa Dynasty rules especially from the era of Mai Dunoma Dibalemi in the 12th century to the period of Mai Idris Alawma in the 16th century the Kanem-Bornu was ranked the undisputed champion among the African ancient empires and also among the five superpowers of the world as at that time alongside the Roman's empire,the Byzantine (Constantinople/Turkish),Mongols and the Sultanate of Baghdad. Kanem Bornu then was occupying the territory of approximately six African countries of our modern time namely Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Sudan, Cameroon and Libya. This might of the Kanem-Bornu made all powers or kingdoms of Africa including the North Africans to be Afraid of Kanem-Bornu empire with no one can able to afford the dream of capturing a Kanuri man as slave or slaves weather withing the kingdom or outside of the kingdom while travelling mostly on pilgrimage to Hijaz the modern day Saudi Arabia where people spend approximately six months travelling to Makkah and returning back to the kingdom after pilgrimage. The Kanuri facial tribal Mark's on the face then became one of the identities qualifying a traveller that he is from the Kanem-Bornu . So people with this Mark's use to travel outside of the empire with pride and without fear. However apart from the Kanuri there are some members of the Kanem-Bornu who are not Kanuris and these made them vulnerable to slave hunters whenever they are outside of the empire or the Kanuri protections , so these made the majority of the other none Kanuri tribal people to adapt the making of the full 9 Kanuri tribal Mark's on their faces, with some copying the full Kanuri tribal Mark's and with others carrying either the 4 facial Mark's on the cheek, the two Mark's on the face's Temple (side of the face) or the mark on the forehead with some of them stopping at the forehead or coming down to the top or top of the nose.In view of the above today many none Kanuri tribes in Borno continue to have the Kanuri tribal Mark's just like among the Shuwa Arabs,Kotoko, Babur,Mandara,Bolewa, Ngizim,Marghi and others . The people of Hadeja ,Kirikasama and Malummadori though they have Kanuri people among them but they mostly carry the one forehead Mark's on their face, the Sudanese carrys the 2 side mark (Temple) plus many many others. Also the Kanuri have the Maami tribal marks too in addition. And also know that some Mark's changed from the original ones copied from the Kanuris, but immediately you see them you can tell that it was copied from the Kanuri. Due fo the fact that historically people especially from the hausa lands,songhai empire, ashanti empire and even some yorubas travelling on pilgrimage or to Asia in the ancient time must have to pass through the Kanem-Bornu because of its geographical location in Africa, made some of the travelers passing through the empire choose to have these kanuri Mark's on their faces just to show that they are from the Kanem-Bornu or exiting with the support of the mighty Kanem-Bornu Empire as a result made many none Kanuri people to have the Kanuri tribal Mark's. This situation is similar in our modern time to people struggling to get an American or a British passport coming from non American or British territories. So some after returning to their various communities with these Facial Marks and having considering the immunities and privileges enjoyed as a result of having such Facial Mark's they then continue to keep it going within their families and loved ones despite the fact that it is not connected to their various communities, so as a result it is possible to see people with tribal Marks of the Kanuri people in a non Kanuri communities in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and others. The Kanuri people of Lafiyan Barebari (Lafia) over the years have lost almost all parts of the Kanuri intangible cultural elements they inherited from their forefathers including food,dressing and even the Kanuri oral language itself, but due to the importance of the Kanuri facial marks they still maintained this perfectly and today they use same Mark's to trace their origins. Wonders of Africa:Amazingly even throughout the history of the European slave trade or slaves hunting that lasted for approximately 300 years in Africa, no single Kanuri man or those with the Kanuri tribal Mark's were slave traded,,,

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