Thursday, October 9, 2014

An ancient sign of beauty designed to attract a husband: Filmmakers discover woman with the world's biggest lip disc - measuring nearly 60cm - which even has villagers stunned

When scouring through far-flung corners of the world, you never know what you might find.
This month, an Australian film crew, led by cinematographer Abrahem Joffe, stumbled upon the world’s largest lip disc in the remote valleys of southern Ethiopia.
Joffe told Daily Mail Australia the crew was filming a documentary series for Canon Australia when they made the discovery.
‘We were taking a tour with some of the local guides. When they spotted the woman, they were absolutely bewildered,' he said.

‘I’m a big reader of Guinness World Records and I figured it was out of the ordinary, but you know you've found something special when the locals are amazed.’
Ataye Eligidagne, 20, dons the largest lip disc in the world. The hardened clay disc is 59.5 cm in circumference and 19.5 cm in diameter
Ataye Eligidagne, 20, dons the largest lip disc in the world. The hardened clay disc is 59.5 cm in circumference and 19.5 cm in diameter
The discs are a tradition dating back further than 1896, and a way of attracting a husband amongst the the Surma woman of the lower Omo Rover valley in Ethiopia
The discs are a tradition dating back further than 1896, and a way of attracting a husband amongst the the Surma woman of the lower Omo Rover valley in Ethiopia
The procedure of preparing to wear the discs, which also involves knocking out the bottom two teeth, is done at the age of 15-18
Ataye Eligidagne, 20, dons the largest lip disk in the world. At a whopping 59.5 cm in circumference and 19.5 cm in diameter, it’s over twice the size of the average disc.
The previous record disc in the Guinness Book of World Records was 15cm in diameter.
Lip discs are a long-running tradition amongst the Surma woman of the lower Omo Rover valley in Ethiopia.
There is evidence of woman wearing the discs in this region from 1896. The procedure, which also involves knocking out the bottom two teeth, is done at the age of 15-18. 
In recent times, the Ethiopian government has taken measures to ban the discs, and the frequency amongst the younger generations is reportedly dwindling.
The discs carry a multifaceted significance. They are intended to attract a husband as well as a dowry for the family of the wife, who provide a contingent  of cattle respective to the size of the disc.
‘I think that locally, it's a matter of pride. The larger the disc, the more impressive. Young people try to outdo each other all over the world.'
Eligidagne, who has been stretching her lips for three years since the initial piercing, said it was not painful at all and there weren't any adverse affects from wearing the disc
Eligidagne, who has been stretching her lips for three years since the initial piercing, said it was not painful at all and there weren't any adverse affects from wearing the disc
In recent times, the Ethiopian government has taken measures to ban the discs, and the frequency amongst the younger generations is reportedly dwindling
In recent times, the Ethiopian government has taken measures to ban the discs, and the frequency amongst the younger generations is reportedly dwindling
The previous example of the largest disk in the Guinness Book of Records was 15cm in diameter, making Eligidagne by far the largest of it's kind in the world
The previous example of the largest disk in the Guinness Book of Records was 15cm in diameter, making Eligidagne by far the largest of it's kind in the world
Joffe asked for their guides to translate for the woman so he could interview her, but the guides were not fluent in Mursi, the local dialect, so they had to use a local warrior to translate for the guide
Joffe asked for their guides to translate for the woman so he could interview her, but the guides were not fluent in Mursi, the local dialect, so they had to use a local warrior to translate for the guide
The discs are intended to attract a husband, as well as a dowry for the family of the wife, who are given a contingent of cattle respective to the size of the disc
The discs are intended to attract a husband, as well as a dowry for the family of the wife, who are given a contingent of cattle respective to the size of the disc
When asked if her daughter would adhere to the tradition, Eligidagne said she would respect her daughters decision
When asked if her daughter would adhere to the tradition, Eligidagne said she would respect her daughters decision
Eligidagne has been stretching her lips for three years since the initial piercing. 
The process also involved the removal of bottom two front teeth. 
Joffe asked for their guides to translate for the woman so he could interview her, but the guides were not fluent in Mursi, the local dialect, so they had to use a local warrior to translate for the guide.
‘During the interview, we offered her some Coca-Cola. It was a fascinating, because she had clearly never tasted anything like it,' he said.
‘Ataye poured it onto her tongue with the disc in place, and suddenly had this stunned expression. It was incredible.’
Joffe asked if there were any hurdles that come with such an unusual tradition. 
‘She said it was not painful at all and there weren't any adverse affects.'
But Eligidagne acknowledged that the discs may not be around forever.
‘When we asked her if her daughter would adhere to the tradition, she said wasn’t sure her daughter will see it the same way, and she would respect he
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK

No comments: