Tattoos don’t work well on very dark skin. Black guys started branding themselves 20 years ago instead of getting tattoos that wouldn’t show up. Actually it may have been going on before that, but I didn’t know anything about it untill 20 years ago. My guess is they are branding the black prostitutes because the tats don’t show up.
ewww. I wear an anklet with my loved one’s initial on it. Of course we’re not talking about the same level of possession either.
But still, it’s a lot less messy!
I think there's more to it than that -- there could be a cultural aspect. Some black fraternities brand their pledges once they're accepted into a house -- I knew several guys who had the Greek letter Omega branded on their arms or chests.
Whether it's a "slave thing," or something else, I think the branding has some special symbolism.