Scarified Back of Mursi Woman, Ethiopia

To attract the opposite sex, Mursi women scarify their bodies in ornate geometric patterns by drawing a design onto the body then making a series of small cuts with a razor or thorn. These cuts are then rubbed with ash to create the raised patterns on the skin. The decorative scars of the Mursi were some of the deepest and most dramatic we had ever seen. Men in the Omo don't like to kiss - it is the touch of a woman scarified skin that excites them.