Bizarre Photos: Meet the Ethiopian Suri Tribe whose Girls have Lip Plates Implanted at Puberty as a Sign of Beauty

 

It may look odd to us, but in the Ethiopian Suri tribe, this enormous lip plate on their young ladies is actually a sign of beauty.

DailyMail reports that when girls hit puberty in the tribe, they have their bottom two teeth removed in a bizarre ritual before a small hole is cut into their bottom lip. A clay disc is then inserted into the hole, which is steadily increased, stretching the lip, much like flesh-tunnel piercings which have become popular with teenagers in the UK.

The larger the lip plate the more cows the girl's father can demand in dowry when his daughter is married - usually 40 for a small plate and 60 for a larger one. In recent years though, some young women from the tribes are refusing to have their lips pierced, and removing their teeth can be a violent and sometimes traumatising task.

Their men on the other hand take part in the considerably less-painful ritual of body painting. A basic paint is made from herbs and plants mixed with soil, before the tribesmen cover themselves with it, sculpting it into patterns.