“…and a piece of polished bone, as big as a watch, stuck flatways through his lower lip” (36).
The placement of a piece of bone into the lower lip of a man is a tradition in many African cultures that is still practiced today. After a child was born, the mother would pierce his or her lip with a thorn, and place stalks of grass through the holes in order to cause the hole to expand. Gradually the hole became large enough to place pieces of bone or ivory into the lip hole. The size of the lip plug is often a representation of the wealth of the person, the greater the size, the wealthier the person.
The placement of a piece of bone into the lower lip of a man is a tradition in many African cultures that is still practiced today. After a child was born, the mother would pierce his or her lip with a thorn, and place stalks of grass through the holes in order to cause the hole to expand. Gradually the hole became large enough to place pieces of bone or ivory into the lip hole. The size of the lip plug is often a representation of the wealth of the person, the greater the size, the wealthier the person.
Photo Credit: http://www.ezakwantu.com/Lip%20Plugs%2020.jpg
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