Photos

Comments

• 

  Marie-Ange February 16, 2012 at 4:57pm

  Wow these must be very heavy indeed, we saw people in Borneo wearing these and their lobes were stretched very very much as you can imagine.
• 

  Annka February 16, 2012 at 7:54pm

  Yes, I have seen some women with ears down to their armpits. As a professional piercing artist, its a mystery to me how their lobes don't snap, as is a somewhat common problem when stretching with weights. Must be because they start so young.
• 

  Joost Daalder February 16, 2012 at 10:39pm

  Yes, Annka: it is indeed because the earlobe is stretched very gradually, starting at a very early age with something small, and then very gradually adding more over time. Hence the lobes fully get the opportunity to stretch and remain strong. If too much weight was put into them all of a sudden, they would certainly snap. But tradition is powerful and knowledgeable, and in several cultures has successfully applied itself to this task for a very long time.
• 

  Annka February 17, 2012 at 12:05pm

  Right, because the ear tissue contains more collagen, and with wearing heavy jewelry from an early age, the lobe toughens up. The problem with stretching too fast is pressure on the tissue restricting blood flow, which can lead to gangrene. The body probably will strengthen the blood vessels under pressure when starting at a really early age. Also, the main problem with stretching with weights is the weight distribution on the tissue usually ends up with the tissue at the bottom of the lobe thinning. I just find it fascinating how even their lobes look, even the really long lobes. I tend to pierce higher up on the lobe on customers that intend to stretch a lot, to leave a lot of tissue under the jewelry.
• 

  Joost Daalder February 17, 2012 at 12:53pm

  That's a very informative statement Annka: thanks!
• 

  Frankie Carter February 17, 2012 at 6:10pm

  My older sister and her husband lived in Sarawak for quite a number of years in the early sixties and so had a fair amount of contact with the Dayaks. It meant that, as a teenager, I was treated to postcards of them in their environment and also received some of their artifacts as gifts (now long gone by the wayside). I too was fascinated by the fact that those massively stretched earlobes did not break.

  So I join with the others in thanking Annka for her very clear explanation as to why this can come about.
• 

  Annka February 17, 2012 at 9:03pm

  You're welcome! 

  I wish I could travel around Borneo... or had an older sister in Sarawak.. :)