The Surma peoples, who also called as Suri, live to the west bank of Omo River. The Surma have some extremely painful rituals, including lip plates scarification and dangerous stick fighting. Some anthropologists see these as a kind of controlled violence to get young Surma used to feeling pains and seeing blood .these are , after all , people who live in a volatile ,hostile world ,under constant threat from their enemies around them .
No one knows why lip plates were first used. One theory goes that it was mean to discourage slavers from taking the women. It’s undoubtedly painful. Once a girl reaches a certain age, her lower incisors are knocked out and her bottom lip is pierced and stretched until it can hold the clay plate.
Cattle are enormously important to the Suri . They bring status when two Suri meet they’ll ask each other how many cows they have. .cows are a store of wealth to be traded, and a source of Milk and blood.
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