Kayapo Lip Plates: Cultural Adornment of Brazilian Indigenous People

The Kayapo people (indigenous to Brazil) wear wooden discs in their lower lips – known as lip plates or lip plugs. These are cultural adornments with deep social, symbolic, and aesthetic significance.

• Tradition: Lower lip pierced; small wooden/bone plug inserted.
• Progression: Plate diameter increases with age and prestige.
• Meaning: Identity, rites of passage, social status, beauty standards.

Not merely decorative – integral to cultural identity.