Why did the Taiwanese pull out their front teeth for 5,000 years (4 photos)

Not baby teeth! Those fall out on their own. But the indigenous people of Taiwan removed their perfectly healthy adult teeth. And this practice was so widespread and powerful that, judging by the excavations, it was practiced for 5 thousand years!





How can you save your own, and they still remove them!

Why would they remove teeth

The culture of removing teeth is believed to have come from mainland China along with other Neolithic customs such as pottery, weaving techniques and agriculture.

Although the tradition of removing healthy teeth had different cultural meanings in different cultures. In the case of Taiwan, the locals did it to distinguish humans from animals. That is, so that the jaw does not stick out like a snout.



Surviving photos of the last Taiwanese practicing the dental tradition

They really wanted their mouths to be more recessed, which would make them more human and less animal. Crazy, and for five thousand years!

Another very large tribe, the Bunun people, removed teeth to honor the exploits of their ancestors during the battles of past generations. Another people, the Atayal, also removed teeth because of sexual practices that were passed down through a famous folk tale. It is difficult to even imagine what kind of tale it is.

In some cultures, healthy teeth were removed from patients to make it easier to pour medicine into their mouths. And the side teeth were left so that people could eat and chew hard food with their molars.



One of the turtles found during excavations

In any case, extracted teeth became a very important part of defining oneself as part of an ancient society, and everyone born into the tribe wanted to be a part of it. Therefore, the tradition was very, very strong.

The most recent examples of tooth extraction were noticed in the middle of the 20th century. Only the influence of Western culture with its beautiful, even smiles made this tradition disappear from the tribes.

And the oldest skulls with such marks are dated to the period from 4,500 to 4,800 years ago. And the earliest examples in the region appeared in northern China about 6,000 years ago.

How did they get these teeth?

Exactly as you think. There were no dental instruments, a person was simply hit hard on the teeth. But pointwise, so that everything was knocked out beautifully.

It was very painful, because tooth extraction was something like an initiation into real adults, you were not afraid and endured the pain.

And not only men, as is customary in many tribes, but women too, underwent the initiation rite. Everyone was hit in the teeth. And judging by the number of skulls without front teeth found in excavations, this was for all classes of society, and not just an ode to the "caste".



In Africa, this is practiced by several tribes

It is, of course, wild for modern people to think about such things. Dentistry is expensive, and all teeth not only give beauty, but also health first and foremost.

What surprises me most about this whole story is that such a harmful practice has survived not just for centuries, but for several thousand years. You people were given reason, and you are so stubborn!