gargaro's photostream  

# 012 / 2012

# 011 / 2012

# 010 / 2012

Surrounded by mountains between the Omo River and its tributary the Mago, the home of the Mursi is one of the most isolated regions of Ethiopia.

The Mursi women are famous for wearing plates (labret) in their lower lips. These lip discs are made of clay. Girls are pierced at the age of 15 or 16. The initial piercing is done as an incision of the lower lip of 1 to 2 cm length, and a simple wooden peg is inserted. After the wound has healed, which usually takes between two and three weeks, the peg is replaced with a slightly bigger one. At a diameter of about 4 cm the first lip plate made of clay is inserted. Every woman crafts her plate by herself and takes pride in including some ornamentation. The final diameter ranges from about 8 cm to over 20 cm.

# 009 / 2012

Surrounded by mountains between the Omo River and its tributary the Mago, the home of the Mursi is one of the most isolated regions of Ethiopia.

The Mursi women are famous for wearing plates (labret) in their lower lips. These lip discs are made of clay. Girls are pierced at the age of 15 or 16. The initial piercing is done as an incision of the lower lip of 1 to 2 cm length, and a simple wooden peg is inserted. After the wound has healed, which usually takes between two and three weeks, the peg is replaced with a slightly bigger one. At a diameter of about 4 cm the first lip plate made of clay is inserted. Every woman crafts her plate by herself and takes pride in including some ornamentation. The final diameter ranges from about 8 cm to over 20 cm.

# 008 / 2012