Facial scarification on ifè brass heads: an alternative hypothesis and its implications

This paper examines these scarification patterns and explores a possible origin for it outside the Yorùbá nation. The central question of this study is - if the patterns are not indigenous to the Ifè Yorùbá people, who then do the heads truly represent and where are they from? Through formal examination of the pattern on the heads and against the backdrop of historical data, correlation analysis with several facial scarification patterns within a predefined study area was carried out.