What is the point of this

i don't get it

what advantage does it give you?

LIP PLATES GIVE YOU NO TACTICAL ADVANTAGE WHATSOEVER

it was designed to make you look so repulsive and unfit that slavers would leave you/your village alone, its a relatively recent tradition

...

I always hear this, but where is the source? What about cranial deformations and trepanning?

Disk holder

I heard that actually may be a myth but would explain a lot. It's pretty extreme just to prevent slavery though.
I think i may also have just been a cultural thing to show strength in women. Rite of passage type of thing.

It's an indicator of social status

The only answer you will need is this,
They're Uncivilized,

and the rest of the answers here are just racist,teenage,oldfags, uneducated,ignorant fools.

Why don't neighboring tribes do it then?