The Mursi women are an
easily recognized group because they are the last African indigenous group to
wear lip plates. Lip plates are wooden or pottery plates that are placed in a
woman’s lower lip after turning fifteen years old. In order to wear one, the women
must have her lip cut and extended over a period of time, usually ranging from
several months to a few years. The cutting of the lip is usually done by an
aunt in the family, and although a very painful process, now holds a Mursi
woman to tremendous prestige. Wooden lip plates are made primarily by males,
these are the largest and most beautiful only worn by unmarried young girls and
women. The practice of cutting their lower lip began when Mursi wanted to make
themselves less attractive to slave traders.
Although the lip plates
weren't always for style, it now represents a woman’s aging, entrance into
womanhood, and their ability to reproduce. For many women of the Mursi Tribe,
the lip plate size is related to her worth. The bigger the stretched out lip,
the bigger the plate, and the more cattle a man’s family will give for her. The
women are arranged to marry a man prior to the cutting of the lip, the
arrangement is set between the girl’s parents as well as the male she is going
to marry. An exchange between the female’s families consists of giving the girl
away for severance fees.
If a Mursi girl does not
wear a lip plate she is seen as lazy or not living up to the duties set forth
by her husband. The husband of a Mursi women can hit her if he sees her without
a lip plate. The lip plates are to be worn at four specific times; when serving
their husbands food, during dueling ceremonies, weddings, and dances. When a
Mursi women’s husband dies, she must throw out her lip plate, never to be worn
again. In a sense, the lip plate is more for the enjoyment and boasting of the
husband.
The Mursi women’s life is
structured around her strengths and weaknesses. She is a woman when she serves
her husband food and has an abundance of healthy cattle. As the Mursi tribe
have more contact with the outside world, their lives are being altered
dramatically, many women do not want to have their lip cut and stretched. This
may cause conflict throughout the Mursi tribe between husband and wife as it is
a sign of respect to the husband when the women wear it, and an old tradition.
Women’s lives are based around their appearance with their lip plates as well
as pleasing their husbands once they are wed.
Oxford Department of International Develoment
2006-2013 Body Art.
Electronic Document,
Learning about the Mursi women in this indigenous tribe was a culture shock, without having to leave the culture I am accustomed to. Learning that the women’s sole purpose is to serve their husband’s is shocking. As a college student receiving higher education, I would never want a life solely based on serving one man who is supposed to have equal partnership with me.
ReplyDeleteEven more so of a shock is the acceptability in their culture to strike a woman. Personally I feel it is completely inappropriate to hit a women for not wearing a piece of jewelry in her face. If I was ever scolded for not living up to my future husband’s standards in appearance I would not be mindful of his thoughts as I know my self-worth is much greater than his thoughts on how he thinks I should look.
I could not imagine living life knowing my future was set for me. Having my parents arrange a marriage for me does not sound like an ideal situation, having free will to be with who I want is my norm. Occasionally, my mother likes to point out how cute a male friend and I would be together, however, would never trade me for cattle. The Mursi tribe is a very interesting group of people with unique practices.