Tribe – Mursi
In distant Ethiopia, in the southern part of the country, in the valley of the Omo River, there is a tribe known as the Mursi.
Let me tell you a bit about the local fashionistas. In ancient times, women of the tribe were abducted into slavery, and to avoid being taken or chosen, young girls would knock out their front lower teeth.
Although the era of slavery has ended, the traditions have persisted. Local models discovered that they could insert a small plate into the cut lip, which would organically be held in place by the four missing teeth. This plate, wrapped around the inner part of the lip, serves as a sort of pedestal.
The more plates a woman wears, the more beautiful the ornament is considered. They don’t wear them all the time, inserting the plates mainly for special occasions or for tourists who willingly pay a few Ethiopian birrs (the currency of Ethiopia) for photo sessions with the local beauties turned photo models.