Lobe Woman with Lip Plug
This was a Lobe village in Burkina Faso. We were told that Lobe women traditionally have had these lip plugs inserted as a way to make themselves less desirable for the slavers who had once captured them. The lip plugs can be a piece of ivory or just something handy like a peanut. Young women don’t seem to have lip plugs, only some of the older ones. Possibly women consider the lip plug as jewelry nowadays. For tribes living in the bush, it’s easier to make a lip plug than it is to make earrings.
I had a wide-angled lens on my camera when I got this shot. I had to get right up in her face. I was about a foot away and now, looking back, I know I wouldn’t like someone doing that to me, but I wanted this portrait, which I think she would approve.
She had grace and dignity and the portrait shows that although she seems to be blocking me out mentally. I always get that feeling when I look at this photo. Mea Culpa.