The lip-plate and its significance
When a Mursi girl reaches puberty, her lower lip is cut to insert a small wooden peg. Once her lip has been cut and stretched over a period of time, she is defined as being sexually mature. Through this process, the girl attains a new identity. She becomes a bansanai, an indication of her transition from a girl to a woman. Tied tightly to fertility and eligibility for marriage, the lip-plate signifies womanhood.