An ethnoarchaeological study of styles of dental modification in the Karrayyu Oromo and the Issa Somali, Central Ethiopia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Modified human dentition could help archaeologists interpret past human culture for its potentials of surviving better than bone in archaeological records. It is also an essential source for the study of inter and intra-societal differentiation and the nature of a given society’s belief system. Dental modification in Ethiopia is known to be a cultural norm among the Karrayyu Oromo and Issa Somali ethnicities. Albeit its widespread occurrence in these ethic groups, its scientific exposition is yet to be explored. This ethnoarchaeological study targets the unraveling of the technical styles, procedures, motives and implications of dental modification from a social identity perspective, with special focuses on Karrayyu Oromo and Issa Somali. The study reveals that both adult males and females in Karrayyu and Issa undergo dental modification for aesthetics, rites of passage, and as emblems of identity. It also showed that variations in technical styles currently seen among aforementioned ethno-linguistic groups would also show variations in the archeological records, which will help to highlight the potential in dental archaeology for identity indicators and cultural markers of past human behavior in archeological dental remains. This exploration is important for developing a model that addresses social identity in archeological assemblages based on specific dental modification style.