The
practice of tooth filing and intentional tooth extraction is a longstanding
cultural practice among some Angolan tribes, notable the Himba people living in
the southern regions.
Anthropologists speculate that the Angolan teeth filing practice is a remarkable cultural hangover
dating back to slavery. From 1575 onwards, Portuguese slavers shipped Angolans
in shameful quantities to Brazil. As slaves were partly valued by the quality
of their teeth, the local tribes took to intentionally despoiling their teeth to dissuade an
attraction by Angolan slave gatherers. The practice still remains today,
centuries after abolition.
Normally
in Himba men, their two front incisors filed into a v-shaped notch revealing a
triangular gap whenever they smile. In
Himba women, this ‘v’ is equally produced as well as the removal of the four
central bottom front teeth. Though the Himba
women see these dental alterations as a feature of beauty, there is speculation
that the bottom teeth are knocked out or filed to mimic that of a cow, in
deference to their animistic cow worship rituals.
2 comments:
Oral health works the most significant role in these types of medical issues and it is the first step of a well-balanced body. A good dental treatments will help eliminate oral germs that can cause Periodontal disease, that's reason for subsequent health issues.
Gum disease
Tooth Filing
are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth and teeth that have been worn down from misuse such as from nail-biting or tooth grinding.
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