If you’re a woman, you’re probably all too familiar with the concept of “beauty is pain”. And this is the perfect saying to sum up this ritual. On the island of Mentawai, having Dracula-like pointed teeth is the standard of beauty.
The Mentawai, a tribe of some 64,000 people, live on islands in West Sumatra in Indonesia. They are known for their distinctive tattoos and the practice of sharpening their teeth with chisels.
The tribe, who live a semi-nomadic life on the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra, believes that sharpened teeth makes them more attractive to the opposite s$x.
The tribe consists of some 64,000 people, living in homes are known as Umas which are built using bamboo, wood and grass, and are furnished with the skulls of hunted prey.
According to local beliefs, a woman with sharp teeth is more appealing and more likely to be happy and be at peace for the rest of her life than one with normal, square teeth.
Curious about how this practice is performed? By using roughly sharpened steel or wood, the village chief will start grinding and carving the woman’s teeth.
The ritual could last for hours because every tooth needs to be perfectly shaved to a sharp tip. If you’ve ever been to the dentist for an unpleasant procedure, you would probably have some form of anesthesia to manage the pain.
For these women, no drugs are given to numb the throbbing pain during the ritual, nor are the sharpening tools sterilised. You can just imagine how much pain the ladies of Mentawai must endure to become what is considered beautiful! They believe that the pain is only temporary, but the happiness will last for eternity.
