Tembetá
Encyclopedia
A tembetá or Barbote (Argentina
) is a metal or stone rod, placed in lower lip piercings by the members of some American Indian tribes in South America
. It has been used since the Neolithic
period by different human groups as a way of body modification
, spiritual protection, and indication of sexual maturity
.
, Brazil
. Their use expanded as far south as El Quisco
, Chile
, and they were adopted by indigenous groups such as the Guarani, Tupi, and Chiriguano peoples.
. They signified the entry of young men into their adult life
. After these ceremonies, the men could marry and acquire the responsibilities of an adult male.
of maize (term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermented beverages, particularly those derived from maize). It was serving the young men the pain to lull and to support them. A specialist was the manager of perforating with a thick needle of wood the low part of the lip and was placing the tembetá that was used during all his life.
It was said while this ceremony lasted to ask that the tembetá was protecting its owner from death. Indeed it was a very important amulet for them more than an adornment. To this end, it was placed near the mouth, a potential entry of damaging forces.
Molle culture is typified by the wearing of this singular adornment in the low lip
. It was made of stone
, preferably of beautiful colors, and it consists of a thin curved plate, which was molded to the gums and of whose center was standing out a button, cylindrical or sharp-pointed that penetrates the lip 5 to 7 cm.
, Asia
, and the Americas
and often it had, apart from it decorative value, a social meaning. Pipe
s of stone were occupying also in the shape of letter "T" reversed that consists of two arms, some of them perforated and in communication with a central stove; the majority consist of talcous stone
. The aborigens were using her commonly in your rite
s to smoke some vegetable with hallucinogenic properties.
in the shape of a "T", 10 cm of length, always an emblem of an adult man in all the ceremonial occasions. The use of work you of quartz it seems to be "a property" of them shaman. It is in narrow correlation with ita-verá (brilliant stone) of the mythical one Tupá Overasú, of the great one Tupá of the Storm.
of Brazil
. The cultures derived from El Molle they were Diaguita
, Llolleo and Simpleton.
In the Llolleo Culture it importance was cardinal whereas in the Bato, on the other hand, the tembetá is, in agreement to the available evidences, the personal "adornment" of major relevancy, not representing Llolleo's spiritual connotations.
All the culturally neolithic tribes and racially amazónides always they were demonstrating a deep scorn for the peoples "that they were not using Tembeta".
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
) is a metal or stone rod, placed in lower lip piercings by the members of some American Indian tribes in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. It has been used since the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period by different human groups as a way of body modification
Body modification
Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
, spiritual protection, and indication of sexual maturity
Sexual maturity
Sexual maturity is the age or stage when an organism can reproduce. It is sometimes considered synonymous with adulthood, though the two are distinct...
.
Pre-Columbian use
Tembetas, according to the first studies of Fernandez, originated in PlanaltoPlanalto
-Buildings:* Palácio do Planalto, Brasília, the official seat of the President of Brazil.** The staff and offices of the Executive branch of the Brazilian Government, by metonymy-Places:*Planalto, Bahia *Planalto, Paraná *Planalto, Rio Grande do Sul...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Their use expanded as far south as El Quisco
El Quisco
El Quisco is a Chilean city and commune in San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. Located in the country's central coast, it serves as a popular summer resort for the population of Santiago...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and they were adopted by indigenous groups such as the Guarani, Tupi, and Chiriguano peoples.
Sociological importance
The tembetá played a part in initiation feastsInitiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
. They signified the entry of young men into their adult life
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
. After these ceremonies, the men could marry and acquire the responsibilities of an adult male.
Corporal use and skill of placement
The males had to place the tembetá, which was an adornment in the low part of the low lip. They owed a hole with a small stick so that they could place the tembetá. Several men and candidates were meeting and were taking great ChichaChicha
For the musical genre, see Peruvian cumbiaChicha is a term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermented and non-fermented beverages, rather often to those derived from maize and similar non-alcoholic beverages...
of maize (term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermented beverages, particularly those derived from maize). It was serving the young men the pain to lull and to support them. A specialist was the manager of perforating with a thick needle of wood the low part of the lip and was placing the tembetá that was used during all his life.
It was said while this ceremony lasted to ask that the tembetá was protecting its owner from death. Indeed it was a very important amulet for them more than an adornment. To this end, it was placed near the mouth, a potential entry of damaging forces.
Molle culture is typified by the wearing of this singular adornment in the low lip
Lip
Lips are a visible body part at the mouth of humans and many animals. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech...
. It was made of stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
, preferably of beautiful colors, and it consists of a thin curved plate, which was molded to the gums and of whose center was standing out a button, cylindrical or sharp-pointed that penetrates the lip 5 to 7 cm.
Geographical distribution
The tembetá is a cultural feature of very wide distribution. It has been used by peoples of AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and often it had, apart from it decorative value, a social meaning. Pipe
Pipe (material)
A pipe is a tubular section or hollow cylinder, usually but not necessarily of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow — liquids and gases , slurries, powders, masses of small solids...
s of stone were occupying also in the shape of letter "T" reversed that consists of two arms, some of them perforated and in communication with a central stove; the majority consist of talcous stone
Talc
Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula H2Mg34 or Mg3Si4O102. In loose form, it is the widely-used substance known as talcum powder. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, its crystals being so rare as to be almost unknown...
. The aborigens were using her commonly in your rite
Rite
A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. Rites in this sense fall into three major categories:* rites of passage, generally changing an individual's social status, such as marriage, baptism, or graduation....
s to smoke some vegetable with hallucinogenic properties.
Indoamérica
The Tembetá, called "labrete", there characterizes all the tribes Guarani is. The former Guarani tembetá was, according to the archaeological findings, a fact of quartzQuartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
in the shape of a "T", 10 cm of length, always an emblem of an adult man in all the ceremonial occasions. The use of work you of quartz it seems to be "a property" of them shaman. It is in narrow correlation with ita-verá (brilliant stone) of the mythical one Tupá Overasú, of the great one Tupá of the Storm.
In Chile
Used in several pre-Columbian cultures. The principal was the Molle culture, which brought from the PlanaltoPlanalto
-Buildings:* Palácio do Planalto, Brasília, the official seat of the President of Brazil.** The staff and offices of the Executive branch of the Brazilian Government, by metonymy-Places:*Planalto, Bahia *Planalto, Paraná *Planalto, Rio Grande do Sul...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The cultures derived from El Molle they were Diaguita
Diaguita
The Diaguita, also called Diaguita-Calchaquí, are a group of South American indigenous peoples. The Diaguita culture developed between the 8th and 16th centuries in what are now the provinces of Salta, Catamarca, La Rioja and Tucumán in northwestern Argentina, and in the Atacama and Coquimbo...
, Llolleo and Simpleton.
In the Llolleo Culture it importance was cardinal whereas in the Bato, on the other hand, the tembetá is, in agreement to the available evidences, the personal "adornment" of major relevancy, not representing Llolleo's spiritual connotations.
Social differentiation
The Tembetá means protection against the negative action of the "owners of the nature"; it is also the ritual adornment of the "souls that travel towards the land of beyond"All the culturally neolithic tribes and racially amazónides always they were demonstrating a deep scorn for the peoples "that they were not using Tembeta".