Body Piercing and Culture
What does it mean?
What is the World Coming to?
What of it?
Works Cited
External Links
tattoos.com
PBS | History of the Tattoo
Tutankhamen
Tlingit
Sing Sing
Nez Perce
Harrison Ford Interview
Guinness World Records
What does it mean?
Piercings as a sign of royalty, status and wealth have been traced back to around 1600 BC and the mummy of Tutankhamen. X-rays of this mummy of the masculine gender can be viewed at the Cairo Museum and show that his ears had been pierced with large gauge plugs. Plugs may well be the oldest form of body modification there is. Tutankhamen wore his earrings as a King and other jewelry was uncovered in his burial tomb leaving evidence of his wealth (Gay, 12). Ear piercing of the rim of the ear is performed among the Tlingit, an indigenous people of S.E. Alaska, to show their standing in society. The more piercings along the rim of the ear one has, the higher his standing. For this reason, many older Tlingits will save money to have the piercing done on their grandchildren, raising the child's standing in the community with each piercing. If they can afford it, and the resulting total of piercings is numerous enough, they will become a member of the nobility (Body 2). In ancient Egypt, only Pharaoh himself could have a naval piercing signifying his royalty. Disobeying this law was punishable by death. Other Egyptians wore earrings to show status, wealth and to accent beauty (Roberts 1). The Romans pierced their nipples to represent strength. Julius Caesar and his centurions pierced their nipple to mark their dedication to the Roman Empire (Roberts 1).A nose ring was documented in the Bible over 4000 years ago as a symbol of intended marriage. Abraham sent his servant out of the land of the Canaanites to find a wife for his son from his own class. When he found Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham, he presented her with the nose ring to wear as a symbol of the intended marriage. "Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms (Ryrie Study Bible, Gen.24: 34-53).
Ritualistic piercing is performed in some cultures to symbolize an important milestone in maturity or to promote health. During the coming of age ceremony for young men in Papua, New Guinea, the septum of the nose is pierced using the thin edge of the Sweet Potato plant (Ogai Iriva). Some tribes do this when the boy has reached the age of 9-10, but usually it is done between the ages of 18-22. This tribe performs a "sing sing", a ritual in which they paint themselves and use feathers and pearls to represent birds, trees, or mountain spirits. Once the boy has gone through his septum piercing, he can participate in this and sing to the girls along with his elders. This ancient practice within the New Guinea tribes consisted of using large tusks, made from animal leg bones, and was used to show they were fierce warriors. Some actually made these from the leg bone of an enemy they had slain in battle. Ear piercing is practiced among the Hindus as a religious sacrament. Kamavedha is held for both girls and boys during their first, third or fifth year, and is believed to endow the spirit of health and wealth. The practice of nose piercing is practiced among the Hindus as well. The left nostril is pierced on the eve of a Hindu girl's marriage. In Indian medicine (Ayuvedra) the left side of the nose is associated with the female reproductive organs. It is believed that this piercing will make childbirth easier and menstrual pain less severe (Hinduism).
Piercing for beautification of the body was practiced by Victorian women as well as by many Native American Indians. The North American Indian tribe, Nez Perce, was given their name by the French fur traders. The name is French for nose pierced. Native American historians have said that this is a misnomer for this particular tribe, as the Nee-me-poo did not practice nose piercing. They go on to say that the pierced nose people lived on the lower Columbia River and throughout other parts of the Northwest. We know from this that nose piercing was a part of the North American culture at this time, but not by those who inherited the name. Photographs of the Nez Perce show that they did pierce their ears and used the ornaments as a display of beauty (Pond). Victorian women would pierce their nipples to show beauty. Usually piercing both nipples, the women would then drape a chain connected to each side. Since women of this time period wore their clothing so as to expose their breasts completely, this provided adornment for their upper torso (A trend reportedly started by the Queen of Bavaria.) (Roberts 2).