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 and
bravery.
The art of tribal tattooing among
ancient tribes were essentially
performed in a similar manner
differing only in the symbols and
ingredients used in the actual
tattoo. Soot and sugar cane juice
are mixed and then rubbed onto
the skin. Lard, gall and even
hen’s excrement is also used in
its 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.