These are people who lived in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, a remote region. They are one of the remaining tribes who still dress in traditional garb and accoutrements.
The wooden lip plates worn by Mursi women are a sign of beauty and uniqueness .
When a girl reaches the age of 15 or 16, her lower lip is sliced (often by her mother) and held open by a sodden plug until it heals. The females can decide how far the lip should be extended. The excruciatingly painful procedure can take months.
Lip plates are more commonly used by unmarried girls and newly wedded women than by older married women with children. They are typically worn when serving men food, milking cows, and performing important rites such as weddings.
Mursi Women Redefine Beauty With Clay Plates: Epicure & Culture
Unmarried girls, particularly those with enormous labrets, may choose to wear them in public. A boyfriend or spouse is not expected to sleep with his girlfriend or bride until her lip has fully healed. Modern males, on the other hand, are increasingly sleeping with their love interests before even piercing their lips.
WHY MURSI WOMEN PUT PLATE ON LIPS – Dr Prem Travel & Tourism Guide, Consultancy & Magazine.
There are various interpretations of the lip plate. To begin with,
Firstly, it is a wonderful symbol.
Secondly, because it is worn with pride when offering meals to the husband, it shows loyalty to him. The lip plate is removed if the husband dies, as it is considered that a woman’s outward beauty declines once her husband dies.
Finally, Mursi’s identity is visually represented by the plate. They risk being misidentified if they don’t have it.
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