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Archive record · Historical photographs & visual records

Untitled 6, Suri Woman with Body Scarification, Suri Village, Omo Valley, Ethiopia [RESTRICTED]

February 2011

African history · place not specified

COLLECTION RECORDImage not availableExplore the catalog description and source record.
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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art. Visual details below describe the original material.

Description provided by Doggett: "A Suri woman. A permanent beautifying technique once practiced widely in Africa, body scarification entails cutting the skin with a sharp object, such as a blade or acacia thorn, so that it heals as a raised scar. The ornate patterns of these incisions are considered beautiful, and the healing process is deliberately slowed in order to build immunity and reduce the risk of future infection.".

Collection
Drew Doggett Photographs
Catalog date
February 2011
Cataloged creator or photographer
Doggett, Drew
Format and extent
1 Photographic print (color; matted, 12 x 18 in. (print); 18 x 24 in. (matted))
About this record

This is a catalog record for historical archival material, not a biography. Catalog wording reflects the source record. Metadata reuse does not grant permission to reproduce restricted photographs or documents.

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-20

Catalog reference: EEPA.2015-009, Item EEPA.2015-009-0004

Collection: Drew Doggett Photographs

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