When the conversation turns to the reasons for this fashion among the Ethiopian Mursi tribe, I often hear the opinion: These Africans generally love something pretentious. They can do it.
But any extravagance has its history. For example, this is the coloring of other African tribes:
The South African Zulu tribe borrowed the striped coloring of zebras not only for the sake of beauty. It turned out that such stripes protect against dangerous tsetse flies, which carry terrible diseases for humans. The flies lose their orientation and do not bite those with black and white stripes.
Let's get back to Mursi, though. Of course, such traditions must have their good reasons, especially if we are talking about such an inconvenient accessory. It's not just a matter of braiding and weaving. Such tuning of the body obviously complicates the life of its owner, and you can't call it aesthetically valuable.
Often, such a plate is combined with shaving the head bald. Both are not signs of femininity in all cultures.
Is it just that the Mursi tribe and their neighbors have a perverted sense of beauty?
Not at all. The reasons come from past centuries and they were quite practical.
The main reason for this fashion was to disfigure their women to protect them from the interest of Arab slave traders. The Arabs willingly bought Ethiopian slaves, they were highly valued both for their appearance and for their physical characteristics. And they were often sold into slavery by... their own Ethiopians. The local aristocracy raided the Ethiopian tribes and captured valuable human "goods" to sell to the Middle East and Europe.
Just as stripes protected the Zulus from tsetse flies, so disfigurement - with disks and shaving the head - protected the Ethiopian tribes from slave traders. They became "unmarketable goods."
Yes, such decorations were found before - and not only in Ethiopia but also in Sudan. For example, disks were found that were made about 6 thousand years ago BC, Long before any slave traders. In some tribes, this was even a sign of high social status. But these were rare, one-off stories.
Mursi Tribe: Sad History of Lip Plates and Traditions
Jun 26, 2025
May 15, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
When the conversation turns to the reasons for this fashion among the Ethiopian Mursi tribe, I often hear the opinion: These Africans generally love something pretentious. They can do it.
But any extravagance has its history. For example, this is the coloring of other African tribes:
The South African Zulu tribe borrowed the striped coloring of zebras not only for the sake of beauty. It turned out that such stripes protect against dangerous tsetse flies, which carry terrible diseases for humans. The flies lose their orientation and do not bite those with black and white stripes.
Let's get back to Mursi, though. Of course, such traditions must have their good reasons, especially if we are talking about such an inconvenient accessory. It's not just a matter of braiding and weaving. Such tuning of the body obviously complicates the life of its owner, and you can't call it aesthetically valuable.
Often, such a plate is combined with shaving the head bald. Both are not signs of femininity in all cultures.
Is it just that the Mursi tribe and their neighbors have a perverted sense of beauty?
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Not at all. The reasons come from past centuries and they were quite practical.
The main reason for this fashion was to disfigure their women to protect them from the interest of Arab slave traders. The Arabs willingly bought Ethiopian slaves, they were highly valued both for their appearance and for their physical characteristics. And they were often sold into slavery by... their own Ethiopians. The local aristocracy raided the Ethiopian tribes and captured valuable human "goods" to sell to the Middle East and Europe.
Just as stripes protected the Zulus from tsetse flies, so disfigurement - with disks and shaving the head - protected the Ethiopian tribes from slave traders. They became "unmarketable goods."
Yes, such decorations were found before - and not only in Ethiopia but also in Sudan. For example, disks were found that were made about 6 thousand years ago BC, Long before any slave traders. In some tribes, this was even a sign of high social status. But these were rare, one-off stories.
The mass use of disks in combination with a shaved head entered the culture of some African tribes precisely for protection from slave traders. That is, the tribesmen themselves did not consider this a sign of beauty.
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Now this tradition is only preserved by the Mursi tribe. They live in a place surrounded by mountains between two rivers. And their land is one of the most isolated regions of Ethiopia.
With the end of the slave trade, this tradition was temporarily forgotten. But in the age of the Internet, it was remembered again.
Tourists love to come here and take pictures with locals. Of course, the Mursi also earn good money on these excursions - this is almost their main source of income.
Now local girls insert disks into themselves at the age of 15 to 18. And they are considered enviable brides. Although most people here do not remember what this tradition is connected with.
Now they compete with each other in outrageousness. The largest disc was recorded by Ethiopian Ataya Eligidagn - 59.6 cm.
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The tradition, by the way, is harmful to health. It often provokes infections, and is very harmful to teeth, loosening them and damaging gums.
Until the age of 15, local girls don’t think about fancy lip tuning
Some Latin American tribes have this tradition independently of Africa. But their disks are also much smaller - no more than 6 cm in diameter, and the reasons are more related to religious beliefs. And local men insert such disks when they leave their parents' house and are considered adults. This is also considered a sign of a skilled orator and singer.
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