6 distinct ways African communities displayed their identity

Ataye Eligidagne, 20, dons the largest lip disc in the world. Photo: Daily Mail

Lip Plug

The lip plug was worn by communities in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Chad and Sudan. Depending on the culture, the lip plug would mean different things. For the Makonde of Mozambique and Tanzania for example, the plug known as the ndona, was an identifier of young girls and women of marriageable age.

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In the Mursi community of Ethiopia, (who still wear the plug until today) the lip plug is an indicator of the tribe of the wearer as a symbol of pride. The incision for the plug was made when the girl is aged six and expanded as she grows up.