I’m doing an Cutltural Anthropology paper on strange Beauty practices in other countries. Namely extreme beauty practices.
I’ve got Asia and Africa covered, but I’m trying to cover the America’s (central, north and south) and the Islands (all them included in this)
For instance I have the Padung Women of Thailnad, who are known as the “Giraffe” women for their practice of placing brass rings around their necks every year to help elongate their necks as a form of beauty, wealth, and status…the same is with the Massai women of Africa. And the foot binding thing in China.
For Africa I have the same thing with the neck rings and then there’s scarification as form of beauty to the indigenous and tribal people there.
I can’t think of anything or find anything on the internet pertaining to the America’s.
I think I might have something for the islands…maybe “Tatoo”. But the America’s thing is killing me.
what I mean is for indigenous tribes or native american. something that was in practice until modernism came along and made people change their ways to conform with the current society. Doesn’t even have to be that, but just need some odd beauty practice.
anyone know of any severe pierceing tribes in the america’s, that the women did as a sign of beauty? Something thats on the way out the door.
A number of native tribes of North America used to use boards to purposely flatten and deform the skulls of infants. This did not cause any harm, but it did result in some very strange head shapes. Think it was mostly a northwest coast of North America thing.
And the Central/South American civilizations like the Maya and Inca were heavily into ear and nose piercing.
The Nez Pierce tribe acquired their French/English name because for awhile they were piercing their noses, but the practice died out.
A number of tribes, particularly among the artic peoples, practiced tattooing. The Inuit practice was a little different than most, in that they didn’t jab a needle into the skin but rather used a needle to draw a thread covered with pigment just under the skin surface, which sounds very nasty-painful to me.
The Mayans did that head-flattening thing to infants. They would tie a board to a baby’s forehead for weeks or months until it attained the correct shape. It was thought that a flat elongated head - kind of angled straight back from the tip of the nose to a “point” on the back-top of the head (almost like no forehead) - was the most beautiful shape. I think you can read about this in Wikipedia, for a start; and I think there are other links provided there.
Does this just refer to females? Among the Guaymi Indians of western Panama, males often file their front teeth to points. I have not heard that women do it.
[QUOTE=Broomstick]
A number of native tribes of North America used to use boards to purposely flatten and deform the skulls of infants. This did not cause any harm, but it did result in some very strange head shapes. Think it was mostly a northwest coast of North America thing.
Well, there’s a lot of different cultures in the Americas.
You might have this one already, but the Northern California tribes often tattooed themselves, at least the women, who would do various chin designs or lines across the cheek bones.
You should also not forget that the Americas incorporate two continents. The people form the Southern continent tended to go in for more obvious if not more extreme beauty practices.
Have we all forgotten Chief Raoni and his lip plate so soon? He was that Indian guy who got around with Sting about 10 years ago. There are also various other South American Indian tribes that put plates in their earlobes and stretch them in a similar manner. Other tribes apparently do the same thing to their foreskins.
