Today In - 'Useless Info'

Labret

'A labret is one form of body piercing. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the facial lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin.

Among the ancient Aztecs and Mayans labret piercing was reserved for male members of the higher castes.

A less common name for the labret piercing is the "Mao." It is widely believed that this name originates from Mao Zedong's mole below his lower lip.

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of the word "labret" has been either incorrectly taught or heavily debated for years. Many people including industry professionals have often mispronounced it as "luh-bray." According to dictionary reference, it is correctly pronounced lay-brit or phoenetically "lah-bret." The root word is the Latin labrum, which means lip. The -et suffix, according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, means "something worn on". So, the combination of the Latin labrum (lip) and the suffix -et (something worn on), creates labret - something worn on the lip.

Anthropology

The labret was a traditional piercing among the American Northwest Coast Indians, where it was related to status:

Access to labrets. After 3,500 BP, a divergence in labret wear in S and N coasts. In the N from 1.500 - 3,000 BP, more labrets worn by males. After 1,500 BP, labrets worn by females. In the S, between 2,000 - 3,500 BP, worn by males and females, but from 2,000 BP on, labrets generally disappear and are replaced by cranial deformation by free males and females of whatever class (e.g. elite or commoner). So, for 4,000 years on the NWC, it was important to distinguish certain individuals in a very direct manner; either by cranial deformation or by labret wear. Gender and geographical region may also be identified by these methods.

When a mask was being made to represent someone of high status, naturally enough, that mask had a labret.'