Across the world, there are people who have not been swayed by the technological advancement but have rather maintained their traditional way of life . Some of this kind of people are found around Lake Turkana and the Lower Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia .
The Surma people is made up of three ethnic groups : The Mursi , the Suri , and the Mekan people . The Suri and the Mursi share a similar culture. Their women ’s beauty is determined by how large their lip plate is.
Lip plates are usually made of clay or wood and range between 4 and 25 centimeters. To be placed on the lip , two or four teeth are removed before the lower lip is cut to fit the lip plate . This lip plate process is usually done by their mother when they attain puberty. To stretch the lip , a ceramic disc is placed after the cut and will remain until the initial cut has healed before it is placed with another slightly larger disc . The process is repeated so that the lip will become large enough to accommodate the first lip plate which is about 4 centimeters .
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Apart from designing their skin with incisions and patterns which are sometimes painted , the lip plate is seen as a boost of one ’s self -esteem . The lip plate tradition is valued by both parents because it indirectly means that the father ’s number of cows will increase when he is paid her dowry . Any man who must marry a Suri or Mursi lady has to be wealthy because her dowry usually falls between 40 cattle ( for the small plate ) and 60 ( for the large plate ) .
Because of the self -worth and importance attached to it, some girls increase their lip plate . To their delight, they are often allowed to design her lip plate .
Most times , the women don the lip plate when their intention is to look more appealing . An example is when they want to serve the meal of their male counterpart ; as part of their beauty regime or during special ceremonies.
However , their men only have to undergo body painting as their form of ritual. Each scar on the man tells a story : He has fought and killed an enemy .
What a proud people !
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