Going All National Geographic On Y'all

[Mergie Master]

With an emphasis on GRAPHIC!

Ethnic Body Modifications


Neck Rings

Although the rings, which women begin to wear around 5 years old, may look like they are stretching necks, they really aren’t. In actuality the heavy rings push down on the womans’ collarbone, changing the angle of their shoulders. The left shoulder in the snazzy visual below is a normal one and the one on the right has been pushed down due to years under heavy gold coils, creating the long-neck illusion.



Lip Plates

Although there are many independent cultures who have at some point donned lip plates, there is only one remaining tribe that still actively practices lip stretching: the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia. According to tradition, six months to a year before a girl is to be married, a small incision is made in the middle of her bottom lip and a stick is put in. Slowly over time larger disks are inserted until her lip is stretched big enough to be used for a basketball hoop. In addition, many girls have their two lower teeth knocked out to accommodate for the huge plate. The rational behind this practice is unclear to anthropologists.


Plateless Lip

Although there are many unknowns about lip plates, one things for sure: Mursi men seem to love it. For the women of this tribe getting a lip plate is the only hope they have for a decent marriage – the bigger the lip, the more desirable a woman is and the more cattle the groom’s family has to “trade” for him to get a wife.


San Yak Tattoos

They may be extra trendy these days (think the vertical tattoo that runs down Angelina’s back), but San Yak tattoos have adorned the holy and superstitious for hundreds of years in Thailand and Cambodia. Traditionally the tattoos are a mix of Buddhist prayers and images and shamanistic spells that have survived from the pre-Buddhist, Hindu religion in Southeast Asia. Because of the religious nature of these tattoos, holy men or even Buddhist monks themselves will tattoo people using the traditional method of long metal needles, tapping ink deep under the skin. The level of detail the tattoo artists are able to achieve is stunning given the rudimentary tools, but the popularity of these tattoos aren’t just for their aesthetic appeal. Like religious amulets, San Yak tattoos are believed to ward off evil spirits and give their owner ridiculous amounts of luck. Like St. Christopher medals, the more the better.



Nose Plugs

The Apatani tribe lives in the district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The tribe keeps no written records, but they do have an exceptionally unique way of identifying their women. Traditionally women get face tattoos and distinctive nose plugs at an early age which they wear for the remainder of their life. According to some anthropologists, this practice was created in order to make the women unattractive to neighboring tribes who might otherwise want to kidnap their super hot women. Although this practice has been around for hundreds of years, it is very quickly losing popularity. Not many women who were born in the 80s and beyond have chosen to get nose plugs, so as the older women of the tribe pass away, so will the tradition.



Scarification

Scarification, or the practice of making permanent scars for aesthetic reasons, is traditional in many parts of Africa. Although Westerners might balk at the thought, many tribes in Northeast Africa see being marked as a right of passage. Scars can denote age, social status, wealth, or increase a person’s sexual attraction (really, are fake boobs that much less of a body modification?). Most scarification is made in repeating, geometric patterns by cutting the skin and then rubbing ash or acidic juice into the wound to assist in creating a lasting scar. Marks on the face, back, belly, legs (aka pretty much anywhere) are common. The lip-plate sporting Mursi tribe also liberally practices scarification, and for this practice both men and women are invited to join in the fun. Nuer people in Sudan are famous for their geometric facial scarification. They receive scars as a mark of adulthood in the tribe. It is believed if they can sustain this process, they are ready to be respected as grown ups. Different subsets of the Nuer tribe make their own unique markings; certain subsets draw 6 lines across young men’s foreheads while others utilize geometric designs to make their mark.

[duckduckdog]

WTF?

[ktownduckhunter]

wrong on so many levels!