Tattoo: Ethiopian Coptic Cross (Meskel) Design

    Christianity arrived on the shores of southern Africa approximately 600 years ago, and unbeknownst to the bright-eyed European missionaries who disembarked from sodden ships at the Cape of Good Hope, it had been practiced on the African continent, and flourished as an independent religion for almost 1,000 years before, in Ethiopia. Today, the oldest Christian faith on the continent, rumoured to be closest in resembling early Christianity, is the Ethiopian Coptic Church (or the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church).

    The cross is the popular universal symbol of Christianity and across the world, in every Christian community, it remains within the parameters of a simple design (+), almost 2,000 years old. The Ethiopian Coptic Church is the only known Christian community that produces a remarkable version of the cross, called ''meskel''; even more remarkable, this development occurred independent of the influence of European Christianity. Meskel patterns and designs are uniquely African. 

    (Picture: Varieties of handcrafted Ethiopian Coptic crosses for sale on the internet , ranging in price from N$ 600 to several thousands of US$).

    Ethiopian Coptic crosses are purchased and worn to profess faith, they symbolise membership, and as jewellery, such as pendants and earrings. In Ethiopia, coptic crosses are handmade using the lost-wax casting process which requires that the moulds be broken after every cast, resulting in unique, once-off creations. Importantly, the crosses are used to ward off ''buda'' (wicked, bad spirits, and bad-luck), in other words, the cross as talisman, a function similar to the crosses in traditional Roman Catholic homes.

    As Ethiopian artisans became more skilled, so the patterns on the coptic crosses became more intricate. The elaborate patterns and designs we see today aren't the result of mindless doodling; they're designed in a single, unbroken line to symbolise eternity. Artisans living and working in close proximity with each other often produce crosses similar in design and pattern which means coptic crosses also serve as identification documents for towns, and or provinces, in Ethiopia.

    (Photograph: Tattooed interpretation of the coptic cross by Colin Dale)

    The most recent application of the Ethiopian Coptic cross, outside Ethiopia, is as artwork in decorative tattoos and it's not difficult to see why. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones apparently sports a coptic cross tattoo. American blues singer, the late Stevie Ray Vaughn, also had a tattoo of the coptic cross. The intricate artwork, patterns, and designs of the cross, coupled with the belief it functions as a talisman, supported by an unbroken line of design symbolising eternity, makes this a desirable tattoo.

    (Photograph: English musician and founding member of the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards)

    The everyday, yet beautifully elaborate, Ethiopian Coptic cross is made with alloys or nickel, and the most expensive are made with silver or gold. Some collectors claim to possess ''ancient'' and rare coptic crosses made of Maria Theresa Thaler (MTT) silver, a silver bullion coin from Vienna (Austria), traded and circulated in all parts of the world, and always dated ''1780''. This is a rare standard international trade coin and circulated in Africa until after the Second World War. 

    (Photograph: The absolutely stunningly intricate patterns of Ethiopian Coptic meskel. The large crosses are used for processions and the smaller ones are held in hand, during prayer)

    A tattoo is a form of body modification, facilitated by the insertion of ink into the dermis layer of the human skin, to change its pigmentation. Judging from the variety of patterns and designs available, the Ethiopian Coptic cross certainly presents a very tempting and worthwhile commitment to permanent ink. I bought my Ethiopian Coptic cross from a reputable dealer in Windhoek. It's an alloy cross, standing on my dressing table, and I absolutely love it.

    (Photograph: An orthodox Ethiopian copt tattoo on the wrist of an Egyptian boy, courtesy of www.thefabweb.com)

    Orthodox Ethiopian copts have for hundreds of years tattooed the cross on their foreheads or, most commonly, on the insides of their wrists, as a symbol of their faith and association with coptic Christianity.

    Written by freelance social researcher and writer, Anya Namaqua Links: anyalinks@gmail.com. All rights reserved.