Primitive Artifice

flesh skull by ~graynd

Lotus Tattoo by ~OniBaka

Archer Tattoo by ~gooneytoonstattoo

Tattoo by ~ColumbaAtra 

Alice's World by =kokdemir

"Repro Negative. A smoking man in traditional dress and with filed teeth" by C.B. (Christiaan Benjamin) Nieuwenhuis (Fotograaf/photographer).

Original Source: Tropenmuseum

Mask (Mwana Pwo) from the Brooklyn Museum Arts of Africa collection. Originally from Bachon region, Angola. 19th century. A gift of Mr. and Mrs. John McDonald

Original Description: "The eyes are bean-shaped with slit openings and are enclosed in flat raised circles formed by brown and cheek. Mouth is raised, with open flat lips exposing pointed teeth. The ears are small, extended and are drilled inside. An incised bar pattern appears on cheeks and forehead. A single drill hole at top rim of mask. Condition: good. Native repair (sewn crack) top of head and fron of right ear.

 Mwana pwo (young woman) masks, danced by Chokwe men at festivals primarily for entertainment, are said to bestow increased fertility on the spectators. The masks represent female ancestors depicted as beautiful young women, with high foreheads, balanced features, filed teeth, and scarification. The scarification marks, which may duplicate those of the actual woman whose beauty inspired the carver, include the cingelyengelye design on the forehead. This cruciform design was probably derived from tin pendants traded into the Chokwe region by Portuguese voyagers as early as the seventeenth century."

Robot scarification by Roxanne Rampage from Australia

"Tattooed man with a child" by Jason Regan

Kiss me! by Marina A.J. from from Elche/Murcia, Spain

Original description: "me aburro, tengo que salir de casa a hechar fotos, lo necesito! y si, es mi boca."

Elaine Davidson taken by George Gastin

Datoga woman with facial scarification. Taken by Kathy Gerber.

Original description: "A traditional tatoo of Datoga people - Datoga woman in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania"