Who Are the Mursi?
The Mursi (Mun) are an agro-pastoralist people of southwestern Ethiopia's Omo Valley, numbering approximately 10,000. They speak Mursi, a Nilo-Saharan language of the Surmic branch. The Mursi are internationally known for the clay lip plates (dhebi a tugoin) worn by women—circular discs inserted into the lower lip, which has been cut and stretched. Living in one of Africa's most remote regions, the Mursi have maintained traditional practices longer than many neighboring groups, though they now face pressures from tourism, government development projects, and conflict over diminishing resources. Their territory in the Lower Omo Valley has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its exceptional cultural and natural significance.
The Lip Plate
The Mursi lip plate is perhaps Africa's most iconic body modification. When a girl reaches puberty (around 15-16), her lower lip is cut by her mother or another woman, and a wooden peg is inserted. Over months to years, progressively larger pegs and then clay discs expand the lip. Adult plates may reach 12 centimeters in diameter. Women make their own plates, decorating them with patterns. The practice is voluntary—some women choose not to wear plates—though it traditionally enhanced beauty and marriageability. Interpretations vary: some scholars linked it to deterring slave raiders (making women "unmarketable"), though Mursi themselves emphasize beauty and cultural identity. The lower front teeth are removed to accommodate the plate. With tourism, lip plates have become economic assets as tourists pay to photograph women.
Life and Conflict
Traditional Mursi economy combines flood-retreat cultivation along the Omo River with cattle herding. Sorghum is the staple crop, planted on riverbanks as floods recede. Cattle are crucial for marriage (bride wealth) and ritual sacrifice. The Mursi have a reputation as fierce warriors; conflict with neighboring groups (Bodi, Nyangatom, Ari) over cattle and grazing land is endemic. Young men gain status through combat, and ceremonial dueling (donga stick fighting) demonstrates martial prowess. Mursi men scar their bodies to show enemies killed. This warrior culture has intensified as modern weapons (particularly AK-47s) have increased lethality of inter-ethnic conflict. The Mursi worldview centers on cattle, the Omo River's fertility, and constant struggle with neighbors and natural forces.
Contemporary Mursi
Modern Mursi face existential threats. The Gibe III dam upstream has reduced Omo River flooding essential for agriculture. Government resettlement schemes have moved Mursi from traditional lands to make way for commercial sugar plantations. Tourism brings income but also exploitation—tourists often treat Mursi villages as "human zoos," paying per photograph while contributing little to community welfare. Some Mursi have become dependent on tourist payments, altering traditional practices for commercial appeal. Inter-ethnic conflict has intensified as resources shrink. Young Mursi increasingly want education and alternative livelihoods. The Mursi are caught between forces of "development" that threaten their territory and culture, a tourist economy that commodifies their traditions, and ongoing resource conflicts with neighbors. Their future depends on securing land rights and finding sustainable economic alternatives.
References
- Turton, D. (2004). Lip-plates and "the people who take photographs": Uneasy encounters between Mursi and tourists in Southern Ethiopia
- Turton, D. (ed.) (2006). Ethnic Federalism: The Ethiopian Experience in Comparative Perspective
- LaTosky, S. (2006). Reflections on the Lip-plates of Mursi Women