Mursi People and Their Body Arts

The Mursi people live in Ethiopia near the border of Sudan. They are found by the British anthropologist around 1972. they are known by their body piercing and decoration to make themselves more beautiful and get married. They believe that if as their lip-plate and ear-plat go wider and wider , they are going to be selected by their spouse to be more beautiful than others. So, they get more bride-price than the others. Therefore, Mursi girls spend most of their time by piercing and widening their lips and ears. They put plates made of clay in the pierced part of their lip and ears so that their lips and ear enlarge. Even tough this kind of cultural deed is so hard and health threatening, they are still exercising to aesthetic beauty in their life. This is the best and the most acceptable kind of art in their culture. it is known that the perception of arts change over time through many factors. This condition works in Mursi art of body decoration. The starting of body piercing in Mursi people was not intended to bring beauties for the women but to be seen ugly in their enemies. Since they were so minority in number that their neighbouring tribes used to attack and forced them to slavery. So, body piercing and decoration was their cultural tactic to defend themselves from their enemies . But now , it transformed from defence mechanism to the best art that helps women earn more bride-price in their culture.



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