Lip plate

The lip plate is a tool for molding plates lips, the ideal of beauty of various African and American ethnicities.

Africa

When Ethiopian Mursi people of the lower lip is cut and slowly stretched by more and more clay plates are used in the same way the ear lobes are often decorated. A particularly large lip plates is highly regarded. Women are therefore knocked out from the age of 20 some teeth, pierced the lower lips and distended for a year until they have their final size.

Today the tradition is also a source of money, because Mursifrauen pull quickly to their lip plates once tourists arrive in their area. In everyday life, they rarely wear the lip plate. Some researchers believe that this tradition originally served to make them unattractive for Arab slavers.

For a Mursi man's beauty lies in the size of the lip plate of his wife. The greater, best diameter of 15 centimeters, the more respect the woman can expect.

America

The Zo'é Indians in the Amazon region carry lower lip stakes of white wood. This custom has probably developed in response to the threat of hostile tribes. For he meant that the resulting disfigured women for enemies were unattractive. But for the Zo'é even they were to feature beauty and character of their tribal affiliation.

Ethnicities with plate lips

Among the peoples who are known for their relatives use lip plates include:

• The Botokudo women and men in Brazil
• The Kayapo in Brazil
• The Kichepo in Ethiopia
• The Makonde in Tanzania and Mozambique
• The Mursi women in Ethiopia
• Sara women of Chad
• The Surma women in Ethiopia
• The Suyá men in Brazil
• The Tlingit in Alaska

Makonde women with ornamental scars and lip plates in the upper lip

Mursi woman without lip and Ohrläppchenteller

Clay figure of Mochica culture with lip plates