Human tooth sharpening

Human tooth sharpening is the practice of manually sharpening the teeth, usually the front incisors. Filed teeth are customary in various cultures. Many remojadas figurines found in part of Mexico have filed teeth and it is believed to have been common practice in their culture. The Zappo Zap people of the Democratic Republic of Congo are believed to have filed their teeth. Historically it was done for spiritual purposes, with some exceptions, but in modern times it is usually aesthetic in nature as a form of body modification. Many cultures have practised this form of body modification. In Bali, in a ritual known as Potong gigi or cut teeth, teenagers have their canine teeth filed down because it is thought they represented negative emotions such as anger and jealousy. It is also seen as a way to spiritually separate them from their animalistic instincts and ancestors. After this tradition is completed the teens are now considered adults and are allowed to have sex and marry. During this ritual the person receiving the procedure is dressed in very nice traditional clothing and would traditionally be carried from place to place by their parents as they are not allowed to touch the ground. This is done to avoid encountering evil forces. In a more modernized version of the ritual the teen would wear socks to walk from place to place in order to stay off the ground. Around the year 1910, the African Herero people participated in forms of tooth sharpening. Both the boys and girls at puberty would have four of their lower teeth knocked out. This was followed by the top teeth being sharpened to points that resembled a “V”. The tribe regarded this tradition as a form of beauty. It was said that a girl that had not undergone this procedure would not be able to attract a lover. In Ancient China, a group called Ta-ya Kih-lau (打牙仡佬, literally "仡佬 (Gelao people) who beat out their teeth") had every woman about to wed knock out two of her anterior teeth to "prevent damage to the husband's family.

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Related concepts (2)

Austronesian peoples

The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Malay Peninsula, parts of Mainland Southeast Asia, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar that speak Austronesian languages. They also include indigenous ethnic minorities in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Hainan, the Comoros, and the Torres Strait Islands.