The+Mursi+and+Surma+Women+of+Ethiopia+NOTES+AND+PICTURES

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/sets/72157608644175542/detail/?page=8http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/3064711279/

Thesis statement: The Mursa and Suri women of Ethiopia have a very different perception of beauty than we do, many things that we find weird are actually quite common and a part of there tradition.In this research paper we will be taking a closer look at the traditions and what is considered beauty in Ethiopia.

-Lip plates are a very strong part of the Suri culture. Having a lip plate is a sign of beauty -To have the huge lip piercing, they must remove their bottom teeth to put the plate in the lip -These plates are worn by the women when they are in there twenties. - The plate will be inserted 6 months before her engagement. -the plates, made from red or black mud or wood, are produced into different sizes by the women themselves. - After the plate is inserted it will gradually the plates or disks will be progressively replaced until the required plate size is attained -Sometimes the lip is broken due to the pressure of the plate. This causes her to be seen as ugly and then she can no longer be married. -Having a lip plate is a sign of beauty and the bigger the plate, the more cattle the woman is worth. -They pride themselves on their scars and how many they carry. Women perform scarification by slicing their skin with a razor blade after lifting it with a thorn. After the skin is sliced the piece of skin left over is left to eventually scar. On the other hand, the men scar their bodies after they kill someone from an enemy tribe. - These plates are worn all the time except when sleeping,and at a private mealtime. -Its possible to remove the plates when no men are around. -These rituals which are extremely painful are said by some anthropologists are a type of controlled violence; a way of getting the younger tribe members use to seeing blood and feeling pain.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surma_people. -Women would have to gage their lips and sometimes it would rip to cause bleeding. -The Erbore men of Ethiopia have to find and wear nice make up to attract attention. - The surma people are experts at body paint, using many different things like clay,local vegetable pigments to paint on each others faces,chests, arms, and legs. -"Although tattoos are considered primitive by most Ethiopians, many Coptic Christians, are marked with crosses to show their strong faith. Applied with needles, the marks can extend around the neck and down the chest" -National Geographic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2oRl

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tattoos/photo7.html

__**OUTLINE**__ 1. Opening paragraph A. Intro. B.What is "beautiful" C.Thesis Statement

2. Beauty A.Lip Rings B.Body art C.Tattoos

3. Culture A.