Affiliation:
1. Indigenous Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Northern British Columbia
2. Independent scholar
Abstract
Abstract
This chapter looks at the labret-wearing practices of two very different peoples, the Mebêngôkre (Brazil) and Mun (Ethiopia). It emphasizes how lip plates are made, worn, valued, and evaluated at a normative level, considering how the Mun and Mebêngôkre understand these practices, how their views clash with those of outsiders, and how the symbolic significance and the ancient practice of labret-wearing are changing. Drawing on interviews conducted in Southern Ethiopia and Central Brazil, and a literature review, it provides an insightful examination of the traditional and evolving modern practice. Freedom, speech, beauty, and strength are recurring themes when the Mebêngôkre and Mun discuss their labrets in connection with contemporary issues of gender (labrets are worn only by men in Mebêngôkre and by women in Mun), identity (the forms and materials of labrets mark belonging), and as an enduring part of their cultural heritage.
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