Discovery Collection: Mursi Girl #19

Discovery Collection

Piece #19 of 100

Portrait of a Mursi young girl. The Mursi people are the most popular in the Omo Valley (Ethiopia). They are settled in the Mago National Park. The Mursi people are well known for their unique lip plates, a symbol of beauty and identity. A girl’s lower lip is cut (sometimes by her mother) when she reaches 15 or 16, and held open by a sodden plug until it heals. It’s up to the girls how far they want the lip to be stretched. The very painful process often takes over several months.