Tooth Dyeing Tradition among the Kanuri Speaking People of Borno, Nigeria

By now, there is much research on almost every aspect of Kanuri speaking people of Borno. Unfortunately enough, no attempt has been made, so far, to document the tooth dyeing tradition among them leaving a wide gap begging for a research. This paper therefore is an attempt to fill this lacunae by discussing the ingredients, techniques and significance of tooth dyeing among Kanuri speaking people of Borno. To achieve its goals, this study adopts a multi-disciplinary approach: a historical framework and an ethnographic framework. The paper argues that the tooth dyeing tradition has been one of the long beautiful cultural aspects of not only the Kanuris but also other people around the world. But for the Kanuris, it is used in natural ways for maturity, beauty, civilization and medical purposes such as prevention of mouth odour.