Beauty in Tribal Groups

R Ram Prakash

Definition of Beauty

• beau·ty  (byt) n. pl. beau·ties

1. The quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or colour, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality.

2. One that is beautiful, especially a beautiful woman.

3. A quality or feature that is most effective, gratifying, or telling

What is your perception of beauty?

Tribal Beauty in Africa

Lip plates can be found used by tribes in Africa. For some, the plate size is a measure of social or economic influence or status. But for others, the size is just a matter of how long the lip has been stretched. These tribes see these ‘ornaments’ as beauty and status.

Tribal Beauty in Africa

Tribal Beauty in Africa

Tribal Beauty in Africa

Tribal Beauty of Karen Paduang, Thailand

The women of the Karen Padaung villages wear multiple brass rings around the neck, the arms and the legs, and for this tribe the rings are the most prominent sign of female beauty and status. The rings on the neck reach from the clavicle up to beneath the chin, and these rings are always held very tightly by the bone structure from clavicle to chin.

Tribal Beauty of Karen Paduang, Thailand

Tribal Beauty in Mauritania, Africa

In the African nation of Mauritania, girls as young as 5 are subjected to leblouh, the ancient tradition of force-feeding preadolescent girls to fatten them up for early marriages. To achieve the desired roundness, girls from rural families are brought to "fattening farms," where they are tortured into overeating and forced to consume their own vomit if their bodies reject all that food and beverage. Fat means wealth and is seen as a sign a husband cares for his wife.

Tribal Beauty in Mauritania, Africa

Tribal Beauty in Mauritania, Africa

Tribal Beauty in Philippines

Tribal tattooing in many parts of the Philippines is a symbol of beauty, maturity, rank andbravery.The art of tribal tattooing amongancient tribes were essentially performed in a similar manner differing only in the symbols and ingredients used in the actual tattoo. Soot and sugar cane juiceare mixed and then rubbed ontothe skin. Lard, gall and evenhen’s excrement is also used inits place.

Tribal Beauty in Philippines

Tribal Beauty in Philippines

Tribal Beauty in New Zealand

Tā moko is the permanent body and face marking by Mora, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is distinct from tattoo in that the skin is carved by uhi (chisels) rather than punctured. This leaves the skin with grooves, rather than a smooth surface.Apart from signalling status and rank, another reason for the practice in traditional times was to make a person more attractive to the opposite sex. Men generally received moko on their faces, buttocks (called raperape) and thighs (called puhoro). Women usually wore moko on their lips (kauae) and chins.

Tribal Beauty in New Zealand

Tribal Beauty in New Zealand

Conclusion

• They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I say it is not only in the eye of the beholder—it is in the society of the beholder.

• Different people possess different standards of beauty and not everyone agrees on who is beautiful and who is not.

• What is important is that we respect the traditions and beliefs of the various cultures of the world.