Marks of Status, Belonging, and Initiation: Traditional Mursi Lip Plates (Ethiopia, Africa)

SHORT ESSAY: Themes of Indigenous Traditions: Read the choices carefully and choose only ONE (1) to DISCUSS. You can receive full credit only by directly answering all aspects of the prompt. You must answer in complete sentences in a paragraph: an outline or bulleted list is not acceptable. Your response must be in YOUR OWN WORDS. Responses copied from the course or other sources will not earn any credit.

1. TOTEM AND TATTOO: Mundurucú trophy head (Peru, South America): IMAGE CAPTION: For the indigenous peoples of Peru, ritually prepared human heads were potent sources of spiritual energy to be exploited for the larger good of the community as a whole. How does this example relate to “TOTEM AND TATTOO”? To answer this question, discuss how shrunken trophy heads relate to the taboos of the Mundurucú people in at least one detailed long paragraph. (200+ words)

2. MARKS OF STATUS, BELONGING, AND INITIATION: Traditional Mursi lip plates (Ethiopia, Africa): IMAGE CAPTION: To an outsider, a lip plate may be viewed as a form of body mutilation rather than body art, but to a Mursi or Suri woman, it is an expression of female maturity and a sign that she has reached childbearing age. How does this example relate to “MARKS OF STATUS, BELONGING, AND INITIATION”? To answer this question, discuss how lip plates indicate cultural belonging and social status among traditional Mursi women in at least one detailed long paragraph. (200+ words)

3. SYMBOLS OF THE SACRED AND PROFANE: Ainu womens’ facial tattoos (Hokkaido, Japan): IMAGE CAPTION: Before being banned by Japanese law in the early 20th century, Ainu women's elaborate tattoos were created by skilled women who were trained specialists in the painful and lengthy procedure which took several years to complete. How does this example relate to “SYMBOLS OF THE SACRED AND PROFANE”? To answer this question, discuss how the facial tattoos of traditional Ainu women identify them as a unified group with shared traditions, beliefs, and customs in at least one detailed long paragraph. (200+ words)

4. MASTERS OF BODY DECORATION: Traditional Polynesian “ta-tau”: IMAGE CAPTION: Traditional Polynesian tattooing is a way to harness the power of the literally hundreds of deities and supernatural spirits of the Polynesian pantheon, who are the sources of “mana” (spiritual energy). How does this example relate to “MASTERS OF BODY DECORATION”? To answer this question, discuss how traditional Polynesian ta-tau is a sacred art that requires manual, artistic, and/or spiritual skills in at least one detailed long paragraph. (200+ words) Late Policy: Missed and low-scoring Exams may be made up for partial (late) credit up to but no later than one week after due date. No emailed submissions.