Uli (henna)

I was going through my Instagram when saw a post of a henna art on Indian women for a wedding occasion. Scrolling down the comments, someone was explaining the meaning behind the henna and why it's used in the Indian culture. The person also stated that that henna art originated in India. I don't doubt that henna has a symbolic meaning for the Indian people, but henna is something widespread in the majority of the east African tribes. And just a by the way Africa is not a country. Some comments were stating that henna art is prevalent in places like Somalia, Ethiopia, and Egypt. 

The henna art can be traced back to Egypt all the way to B.C. While there were a few comments recognizing henna in eastern Africa, I did not see anything or anyone mention West Africa. In Nigeria, a country in West Africa, Henna holds great meaning in the three top tribes, the Hausa tribe and the Igbo tribe and the Yoruba tribe. Henna is standard in two of the cultures, Igbo and Hausa. The Yoruba people use henna for special events like weddings or cultural dances.

Though In the Igbo tribe it is not called henna but rather Uli. Back to Nigeria was colonized till date the Uli (henna) has been used to differentiate clans and status. Women used their skin as portable canvases where different designs were painted that defined a woman’s body as well as her social standing within society. Though the designs differed from village to village, it was still regarded with high importance. Before the colonization, the Uli art was used as a form of writing and communication. The symbols used by Igbo women artists represented things of real importance and were intended to beautify the female body as beauty was equated with morality in Igbo culture.

The primary source for the liquid dye in uli is from the Rothmania hispida (uli okorobian) or Rothmania whitfieldi (uli oba or uli nkpo). Pods were collected from these trees, and then women would grind them on a stone Slav or hard surface. This would then reveal a fleshy pulp containing crushed seeds. The uli usually last 4 to 8 days on the body and requires retouching. The uli art is something that has existed in the Igbo culture since the Igbo tribe existed