Читать книгу Introducing Anthropology - Laura Pountney - Страница 112

Lip plates are worn in parts of Africa and South and Northwest America. The Kayapo men of Brazil still wear lip plates, though it is best known as a practice among the women of certain African cultures. A hole is sliced into the lower lip and a small object is inserted. After the hole heals around the object, it is removed and is replaced by a larger plate, gradually stretching the hole. The purpose and meaning of lip plates is different in different cultures. The Lobi women of the Ivory Coast and Ghana wear lip plates to protect against evil spirits that enter the body via the mouth. For others, they are a status symbol. Later in this chapter, Terence Turner explains the meaning of lip plates for Kayapo men (see p. 75).