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| English: Suri with lip plate near Tulgit, Ethiopia (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Here
is the west,when we hear about body modification, our mind
automatically goes to subculture kids with stretched ear lobes and
nose rings, but what I want to talk about is the traditional style of
body modification which inspired those and are still in use around
the world. In fact, some of the traditional body modification
practices would seem very invasive and excruciatingly painful to even
the most hardcore enthusiasts here. These practices are rights of
passage for young men and women with the theory that if they can
endure this suffering then they can easily cope with adult life.
The
cultures which still use body modification rituals tend to be those
that have remained relatively untouched by the influence of western
culture. One common image is that of Thai women with thick coils of
metal around their elongated necks. A common misconception is that
the rings stretch the woman's neck, but in fact, the heavy loops of
metal push down the collar bones and adjust the angle of the
shoulders
Another
body modification which we are used to seeing is the lip plate. This
has been used by many tribes throughout history, but the only one
which is still actively using this form of body modification is
Ethiopia's Mursi tribe. The tradition dictates that around one year
prior to a woman being married, an incision is made in the bottom lip
and over time the lip is stretched to accommodate bigger plates. Once
theory suggests that the larger the plate the better wife she will
make as she is proven to be strong.
