PIERCED by Devon Litteral

PIERCED

PIERCED a cultural history of body piercing

DEVON LITTERAL

dedicated to my family, for without whom, there would be no book

UKINI PAMBA IF YOU NITA DECORATE PEN ME, THEN I WILL BE DEZA BEAUTIFUL

PART 0 INTRODUCTION 14

Foreword

Introduction

PART I THE EARLY HISTORY 24

Icemen and Pharaohs

Ancient Rome

Ancient Aztec

Easter Island

Noble Black String

Pirates

PART II THE EAR PIERCE 40

The Curated Ear

Mursi Tribe

Maasai Tribe

Konyak Tribe

Natha Yogi

Lanjia Saora Tribe

Rikbaktsa Tribe

PART III THE LIP PIERCE 82

Contemporary

Mursi Tribe

Karo Tribe

Kayapo Tribe

102

Zo’é Tribe

PART IV THE NOSE PIERCE 108

Contemporary Nostril

110

Apatani Tribe

116

Contemporary Septum

120

Kalam Tribe

126

Dani Tribe

132

Kuna Tribe

PART IV EVERYWHERE 140

Yanomami Tribe

144

Matis Tribe

PART V THE NAVEL PIERCE 152

Contemporary Navel

154

Opinion: Navel Piercings Now

PART VI THE NIPPLE PIERCE 160

Contemporary Nipple

PART VII CONCLUSION 166

Conclusion

168

Glossary: Piercing Placements

172

Glossary: Piercing Terms

175

Bibliography

177

Image Credits

179

Colophon

foreword

I received my first two ear piercings in a kiosk in the middle of a small Midwest mall at an establishment called the Piercing Pagoda. I’m quite embarrassed to admit now that my first piercings were performed with a piercing gun; however, at the ripe age of twelve, there was no way for me to know any better. When I was eighteen and fresh out of high school, I followed my best friend to a tattoo and piercing shop called Pincushn’s. This trip would, inevitably, push me towards a new profound and lasting passion. In the years following my introduction to this brave new world, piercing became one of my greatest loves. The impetus for this book was more than just defining a fleeting passion. Being pierced changed me in ways that I couldn’t really comprehend before I completed this project. I feel it’s necessary for me to outline the circumstances in which I was pierced, if only to gain understanding on why I became so enamored with it. My early college years were some of the worst I have lived through. That’s not to say that I didn’t have an enjoyable college experience; I think I did. In the first few years, however, I was met with challenges I never could have foreseen. I was first sexually assaulted three months after I got to campus, and then again about six months later. My grandmother died due to health complications that winter, and my uncle overdosed on heroin and passed away that spring. My other grandmother had a stroke and was incredibly lucky to come away from it. My great-grandmother passed away the next winter after a long battle with old age, and my father was diagnosed with cancer the following year. My body was rebelling against me, and I couldn’t walk across campus without having to stop and let my body rest. I was shamed for being a victim, my family’s income was ridiculed, and my intelligence was mocked on what seemed like a daily basis.

There were often times that I felt as if I had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and nothing worth fighting for. I quit participating in the sport that I loved, I lost friends, and I became a sort of recluse. I was numb and it was a battle to simply survive. My original intent for piercings was simply aesthetic enjoyment. However, in the next few years I found that my piercings gave me a sense of identity that could replace my feelings of worthlessness. They made me feel human again. The pain of the needle going through my ear was a sharp reminder that I am human. The numbness I had been engulfed in was inexplicably shattered in those moment when the needle pierced my skin and cartilage. In a time where everything I knew to be true and pure was systematically being destroyed, piercings gave me a sense of cultural identity in an unyielding world of horror. I was able to reclaim my body as my own and mine only. By making the conscious decision to pierce my skin and shed blood, I was able to feel whole, connected with my body, and in control of my life. This book was originally made to celebrate the history of body piercing and to ultimately understand how our modern piercing practices came about. However, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gained a knowledge and understanding of myself through my body and my piercings that aided me in moving on from my past struggles and ultimately made me the person Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud to be today. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m stronger, healthier, and happier than I have been in a long time, and I owe it, in large part, to my piercings.

DEVON LITTERAL

introduction

Body piercing is a form of body modification, referring to the act or practice of piercing the skin. Although a widespread and culturally rich subject, the history of body piercing is obscured by popular misinformation and by a lack of scholarly research or reference. Ample evidence, however, exists and shows that it has been practiced in a multitude of forms by both sexes since ancient times throughout the world.

Much of what popularly passes for the

While Malloy's claims are largely imagina-

history of body piercing is in fact fictitious.

tive, there are geographically diverse cultures

In the 1970s, the Los Angeles resident Doug

in which piercing has been continually

Malloy, an eccentric and wealthy proponent

practiced for quite some time. Ear and nose

of piercing, set forth with charismatic author-

piercing seem to be, and seem to have been,

ity a set of historical references connecting

the most popular; indeed, there are far too

contemporary Western body piercing to

many examples to list here, and the following

numerous ancient practices. He declared, for

instances should be taken as representative

example, that ancient Egyptian royalty pierced

rather than anything close to exhaustive.

their navels (consequently valuing deep

Many Native American peoples practiced ear

navels), Roman soldiers hung their capes

or nose-generally septum-piercing (the latter

from rings through their nipples, the hafada

most famously among the Nez PercĂŠ of the

(a piercing through the skin of the scrotum)

American Northwest). Multiple ear piercing

was a puberty rite brought back from the

was practiced by both men and women in the

Middle East by French legionnaires, and that

ancient Middle East, and a mummy believed

the guiche (a male piercing of the perineum)

to be that of Queen Nefertiti of Egypt, sports

was a Tahitian puberty rite performed by

two piercings in each ear. The Maoris of New

respected transvestite priests. No anthropo-

Zealand, though better known for their intricate

logical accounts bear out these claims.

and elegant tattoo designs, have also long

What facts can be sorted from the fiction

practiced ear piercing, which along with nose

nonetheless attest to the remarkable antiquity

piercing is widespread among native peoples

of piercing. The oldest fully preserved human

of both New Zealand and Australia. Ear piercing

being found, the 5,300-year-old "ice-man" of

for girls forms part of traditional rites in Thai

the Alps, shows evidence of ear-lobe piercing.

and Polynesian cultures. Ear piercing among

Like many with a serious interest in piercing

the Alaskan Tlingits could be an indication of

in the twenty-first century, the ice-man has

social status, as could nose piercing.

stretched his lobes, in his case to a diameter

Stretched ear piercingsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in which the hole

of about seven millimeters. Artifacts as well

is gradually enlarged by the use of weights or

as bodies offer evidence of ancient single and

by the insertion of successively larger pieces

multiple ear piercings from as early as the

of jewelryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;appear in diverse cultures as well.

ninth century B.C.E.

In Africa, the Maasai and Fulani are known

for ear-cartilage piercings, which may be

penis piercings resembling the contempo-

stretched (a much slower and more difficult

rary apadravya—a vertical piercing through

process than stretching earlobe piercings).

the penis—are described as enhancing the

Images and artifacts from native Central

pleasure of both the penis-bearer and his

American cultures show stretched lobes with

partner.

jewelry much like that used by contemporary

There may also have been temporary

enthusiasts. East Asian images and sculp-

upsurges of interest prior to contemporary

tures, some many centuries old, show long

versions-some sources, for example, report

stretched lobes as well; these are emblematic

a fad for nipple piercings among women in

especially of Buddhist saints. The Dayaks of

the late nineteenth-century in both London

Borneo traditionally pierce and dramatically

and Paris. Here, as in its contemporary form,

stretch the earlobe; other piercings—including

piercing is removed from its more traditional

the ampallang, a horizontal piercing through

social functions, such as marking one as a

the penis—have also been attributed to them.

member of a community or as being of a par-

Nostril piercing may have originated in the

ticular status, and more specifically erotic as

Middle East, and has been practiced in India for

well as decorative functions are noted.

thousands of years, particularly among women.

“Body piercing” is generally distinguished

It may be through their interest in Eastern

from (unstretched) earlobe piercing, and is

cultures that the hippies of North America took

more recent in popularity. In its late-twen-

to nostril piercing around the 1970s.

tieth-century version, the interest in such

While not as prevalent as the piercing of the

piercing can be traced largely to a handful of

ears or nose, lip piercing is also geographically

figures, particularly Doug Malloy along with

widespread. Women in many regions of East

Jim Ward and Fakir Musafar (Roland Loomis)

Africa have traditionally worn lip piercings

in the United States and Mr. Sebastian (Alan

with plugs, while Dogon women may pierce

Oversby) in the United Kingdom.

their lips with rings. The men among some native Alaskan peoples also pierced the lower lip, either doubly or singly.

With Malloy serving as patron and in some respects teacher, Ward began making specialized piercing jewelry in the early 1970s

Other piercings are much less attested to

(Ward is credited with the design of the

in older or more traditional contexts. There is

ubiquitous captive-bead ring, also called the

some indication of Central American tongue

ball-closure ring). He and Musafar opened

piercing, for example among the Mayas, but

the Gauntlet, a piercing shop that seemed a

this may have been temporary, intended to

natural outgrowth of the jewelry business, in

draw blood for ceremonial purposes rather

Los Angeles in 1975. Gauntlet shops in other

than for the lasting insertion of jewelry. More

major cities opened in succeeding years.

reliable is the evidence of the Indian Kama

Later he began the journal PFIQ (Piercing

Sutra (written by the sixth century C.E.) where

Fans International Quarterly), an important

source of both information and community

and the United Kingdom were fond of non-ear

for those interested in body piercing. Mr.

piercings, particularly on the face (lip, nostril,

Sebastian, likewise taught at first by Malloy,

and cheek piercings attained popularity early

was more secretive with his techniques, but

in this group). The punk emphasis is on rebel-

was widely known as a piercer. For both, the

lion and unconventionality; the modern prim-

initial clientele was largely gay men from the

itive emphasis on cross-cultural connection

sadomasochistic community.

and spirituality is quite absent here, replaced

In the 1980s, Elayne Binnie (known as Elayne Angel in the early 2000s) joined the staff of the

by punk’s interesting combination of outrage and playfulness.

Gauntlet, attracting many more women clients.

Music and cultural styles that emerged

Angel, who was the first person to obtain the

out of punk often have a place for piercing as

“Master Piercer” certificate from the Gauntlet,

well. The straightedge movement, generally

is also widely credited with popularizing the

dated to the early 1980s, though it attained

tongue piercing (having five herself). Along with

more popularity later on, provides today a

the navel, the tongue is one of the most popular

large subset of the heavily pierced. Along

piercings in the early twenty-first century.

with tattoos, piercings show both the punk

Musafar, who later fell out with his former

influence on straightedge music and the

partner, is responsible for the term “modern

subculture’s deep interest in the body (most

primitive,” with which a number of highly

who identify as straightedge are vegetarian

pierced people have identified. Musafar

or vegan and abstain from the use of alcohol

emphasizes commonalities between contem-

and other recreational drugs). Straightedge

porary and older, particularly tribal, traditions;

thinking may emphasize the slightly mind-al-

he also emphasizes the psychological and

tering sensation of the piercing experience,

spiritual elements of all sorts of body mod-

incorporating elements of the modern primi-

ifications, including piercing. Many serious

tive emphasis on ecstasies (overcoming the

piercers in the early 2000s are trained in his

limits of time and selfhood in experience)

seminars. Modern primitives may ritualize the

alongside punk unconventionality. The Goth

processes and meaning of their body art and

scene emergent in the early 1980s and again

often draw on traditional cultures for design

in the 1990s has a religious sensibility very

in both piercing jewelry and other arts, such

different from modern primitive spirituality,

as tattooing.

tending toward highly stylized and cultivated

From its start among gay leathermen,

artifice in its use of religious, particularly

piercing grew in popularity to include a number

Catholic and Wiccan, imagery. As these asso-

of communities. Among the most influential

ciations suggest, Goth style tends toward

in the spread of piercing’s popularity was

intense theatricality, and visually striking

punk. The punks in both the United States

piercings are widespread; the “dark” emphasis

of much Goth culture also meets up with an

certainly go unsuspected. The more fash-

acceptance of sadomasochistic imagery and

ionable piercings—particularly tongue, navel,

the pain that may be inherent in body piercing.

nostril, and eyebrow—tend to attract a younger

The rave scene emergent in the 1990s

and more specifically (or overtly) fashion–

also includes an interest in visually com-

oriented clientele. A significant influence on

pelling piercings, particularly facial and

the entry of body piercing into mainstream

navel piercings. Often glow-in-the-dark or

fashion has been popular music, as formerly

battery-powered flashing jewelry is used,

“edgy” or marginal looks were assimilated

giving the piercings a hypnotic effect in

into pop and made widely visible in music

dimly lit spaces and playing off the more

videos. The most famous instance here is

rapid pulse of the very high beats-per-min-

undoubtedly the inspirationally pierced navel

ute music generally favored.

of the singer Britney Spears, which has taken

Not all highly pierced groups or scenes

thousands if not millions of young women

are connected to particular species of music,

into piercing shops they might not otherwise

of course. Sadomasochistic communities

have frequented.

remain strongholds of piercing. Here both the

In general, “mainstream” body piercing

physicality of the piercing experience (and the

involves relatively small–gauge jewelry, often

enhanced sensation often provided by healed

(particularly for navel piercings) with ornamen-

piercings) and the symbolism of the jewelry

tal, even jeweled, beads. Gold, while expensive,

are significant—with the significance ranging

may be used as well as more commonly used

from pain tolerance to community affiliation

nonreactive metals including stainless steel

to ownership. Piercing is also popular, though

and titanium. Perhaps in response, those who

not so much as tattooing, in biker culture.

identify as more marginal or as members of

Here large-gauge (thickness) piercings are

the body art community tend to prize piercings

often favored, complimenting the traditional

that are unusual in location or style, such as

bold lines of biker tattooing. Finally, many

surface piercings (piercings that go under the

people also simply understand themselves as

skin rather than through a protruding part of

members of a body modification or body art

the body—the eyebrow is a surface piercing,

community, with a respect for body modifica-

but less common versions include the nape

tion and an interest in its being practiced well—

or front of the neck, the back along the spine,

as well as in having their own bodies modified.

and the wrists), multiple piercings in a single

Most piercers, however, will emphasize that

location (even the navel offers top, bottom,

the people who get pierced do not often fit into

left, and right options), or very large–gauge

any of these groups, and may indeed be, for

piercings.

example, corporate or grandparental types

As body piercing has grown in popular-

whose under–the–clothes piercings almost

ity, it has come to be increasingly regulated,

though it is still much less so than tattooing. In most of the United States, and in parts of Canada and Australia, local legislation sets hygienic standards via departments of health, and limits the piercing permitted to minors, either banning it outright or requiring parental permission. Interestingly, earlobe piercing is almost invariably excluded from this legislation, a reflection of its well–established and unthreatening presence. The Association of Professional Piercers, a voluntary organization, promotes self–regulation regarding cleanliness standards and piercing practices, and many piercers are members. Legislation in the United Kingdom is somewhat ambiguous, although piercing seems in general to be legal so long as its purpose is solely cosmetic. In 1991, Mr. Sebastian was found guilty of “gross bodily harm” to thirteen of his clients (they had not complained, but their names were located in his records), on the principle that one cannot assent to assault or mutilation. Cosmetic piercing is regulated in London, and ear piercing elsewhere in the United Kingdom, but it is not quite clear how or whether laws on injury, surgery, or female circumcision might apply. Despite occasional suggestions that the proper legislation regarding body piercing is to ban it outright, the phenomenon seems unlikely to disappear altogether. Undoubtedly its popularity will wane, perhaps to wax again at some point, but the longevity of the practice among human beings suggests that it has an enduring, as well as cross–cultural, appeal.

MAKING LOVE OR WAR, PIERCING MAKES IT BETTER

e arly h i story

PART O N E

TH E E ARLY H I S TO RY

icemen and pharaohs One of the more famous examples of ear piercing from history is Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300 year-old mummified body found in the Alps between Austria and Italy. In addition to several tattoos, Ötzi had an ear stretched to around 7 mm—11 mm diameter. In Egypt, the boy king Tutankhamen is represented as having stretched ears, and his famous golden death mask features holes that can take 10mm diameter bars. The processes used to stretch these famous sets of ears are not known, because there are many techniques that can be used. It is likely that primitive ear stretching was carried out using wooden plugs or bamboo, and although a few people like to return to these early methods, they are not recommended today for health reasons. Earrings were introduced in Egypt in about 1500 B.C.E. and were later

The Gayer-Anderson Cat a.k.a the most tricked out cat statue maybe ever.1.1

worn by both men and women. Many Egyptian earrings took the form of thick, mushroom-shaped studs or plugs, which required an enlarged hole to be stretched in the earlobe; these could be of gold, with a decorated front surface, or of humbler materials such as colored glass or carved jasper. Ear studs consisting of two capped tubes that screwed together could be worn alone, but some also had elaborate pendants of gold cornflowers, or falcons with flexible tail feathers inlaid with glass.

King Tut’s tomb and the riches it contained would fueled a worldwide obsession with ancient Egypt and the longdead ruler, who reigned for just one decade some 3,300 years ago, in particular.1.2

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ancient rome The Romans were known for their love of gemstones, and often donned earrings with emeralds and pearls. Gold was the most highly valued metal and was often used in jewelry. Emeralds were one of the most valued stones in all of antiquity, prized for their rich green color and connections to fertility and healing. Roman jewelers would often sooth their strained eyes by looking through emeralds while they worked. Emeralds paled in comparison to the pearl. The brilliance was much greater than that of the uncut diamond and owning a pearl was considered a great luxury. The sound of the gems hitting together alerted surrounding Romans of her presence and status. As the Roman Republic grew more effeminate with wealth and luxury, earrings were more popular

Roman bust of woman wearing earrings. The Roman Empire's

among men than women; no less a he-man than Julius Caesar brought

influence at its height of power

back to repute and fashion the use of rings in the ears of men.

resulted in the standardization

Some believe that Roman legionnaires pierced their nipples, a claim made popular by Doug Malloy, the financial proponent for the first body piercing studio in America. Pierced nipples supposedly began as an accomplished mans practice, worn proudly to symbolize masculinity. Julius Caesar was said to have one of his nipples pierced as a sign of strength and virility. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been no hard evidence found of nipple piercings being popular amongst the Romans.

of jewelry styles over much of the known world.1.3

Roman Statue, But With Decorations (2018) .PSD file; modern medicine and piercing techniques not included in the Roman time.1.4

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ancient aztec Piercings served an important role in Aztec society. Ear, nose, and lip ornamentations were used to demonstrate an individual’s social status, personal wealth, and military standing. At eight years of age, Aztec children would have their ears punctured and ear plugs would be inserted. These were worn throughout society, regardless of gender or status, and were commonly made from materials such as wood, bone, ceramics, or leather. Only members of the senior nobility and Aztec rulers were allowed to wear gold or precious stones, and this was a strictly enforced aspect of Aztec social hierarchy. Aztec lip plugs were often several inches long and, depending on social status, were made of materials like gold, amber, jade, flint, and conch shell. The labrets worn were also heavily controlled; only Aztec nobility and warriors were permitted to wear them. The piercing symbolized military advancement and achievement, earned through acts performed in battle. A warrior who had taken six captives was still only entitled to a long yellow labret of little material value. Jewelry made of gold and precious stones were exclusive to the nobility, priesthood, and Aztec ruler, the latter often wearing a large eagle-shaped gold labret. Nose piercings were limited to men of great social standing or military

Priests with copal bags piercing their tongue and ear lobe with maguey needles.1.5

repute, as well, with “only powerful men, such as Motecuhzoma [Montezuma] II, wore the nostril ring, or staff, which pierced and hung from the septum.” Some evidence suggests that warriors could earn the right to wear a nose ring, but these warriors are likely to have been of noble birth. Piercing of the tongue was ritualistic; illustrations depict priests piercing their tongue to draw blood or pass through rough cords meant to inflict pain. There is no evidence of permanent or long term tongue piercing in Aztec culture; it was done solely to honor the gods.

Gold, in Aztec belief, was teocuitlatl, a godly excrement, closely associated with the sun’s power, and ornaments made of it were worn by Aztec rulers and nobles.1.6 Aztec Calendar Stone Carving (No, not the one that said we were going to die in 2012).1.7

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easter island The first westerners to visit Rapa Nui were Spanish, and they arrived in 1566. The island then was prosperous and full of standing Moai. Between the Spanish visit and the arrival of the Dutch in 1722, the society there thrived. Priests or clan chiefs wore elaborate head pieces of white feathers and had “balls” in their stretched earlobes the size of their fists. It was said that when they weren’t filled with plugs or discs, the earlobes of the Rapa Nui people were so long they dangled to their shoulders, and that the men looped theirs over the top of their ears for convenience. Captain Cook, who visited the island fifty years later, said that the islanders had their ears “pierced with large holes, through which four or five fingers might be thrust with ease.” The women wore pendants in their ears made from shark’s vertebrae, or decorated them with feathers. By 1825, a captain named Beechy described the stretched earlobes as being about an inch and a quarter in diameter, and while it was still practiced, he said, it wasn’t nearly as prevalent as it once was. By the time that ship’s surgeon J. Linton Palmer visited in 1868 and wrote his account of the island, the people there were decimated by slave trade, the clan chiefs had been forced into exile on the mainland by the Peruvians, and missionaries were making inroads with the remaining population. The rapid spread of Christianity among the people of Rapa Nui caused them to adopt more western ways, and the practices of body tattooing and earlobe stretching began to die out. The few people who remained on Rapa Nui and tried to keep living there were eventually forced onto a smaller portion of the island so the rest could be used for farming, and over the subsequent generations they either left the island or died out.

Man and woman from Easter island, drawn in 1777.1.8 & 1.9

Easter Island heads.1.10

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noble black string When James I was in power in the early 1600s, it became the fashion to wear three strands of black silk through the left ear. It was practiced by the high–class nobility and was extremely popular for a few decades, spanning countries and continents. Everyone who was anyone sported a string of black silk through the left lobe. This fashion statement became such a large deal that a famous brawl broke out over it in the King’s Court of James I, where the nobility gathered. The tale, as told in Peck’s Desiderata Curiosa: “In 1612 (10th James I), Mr. Edward Hawley of Gray’s Inn, [was] coming to Court one day, Maxwell (a Scotsman) led him out of the room by a black string which he wore in his ear, a fashion then much in use: but this had like to have caused warm blood. Not only Gray’s Inn Society, but all the gentry in London thought themselves concerned in the affront, and Hawley threatened to kill Maxwell wherever he met him if he refused to fight, which so frightened the king that he sent for the benchers and made up the quarrel.” The young Henry, Prince of Wales and potential future king of England had the strings put in after a trip to Denmark, where it was widely rumored that the trend was born. Henry died before he could become king, but not before he started a trend that circulated throughout Europe and became incredibly popular. Anne of Denmark was painted with them, as well as Elizabeth of Bohemia. The trend actually spread to America, before it’s split from England. David

Queen Anne of Denmark made the choice to wear a black earstring for her portrait, and I admire her for that, even if I do think it’s a huge fashion faux pas.1.11

Fischer in Albion’s Seed mentions high-born Virginia gentlemen wearing elegant black silk through one earlobe. The trend seems to have lasted a bit longer in America than it did in Europe. This also is not the only reference to silk threads used for piercing; nipple piercings done in the 1890s in France and England often used silk thread as a holder while the piercing healed, being more flexible than gold wire. It may have even been ironic in nature, like contemporary piercees wearing tapers after they stretch their lobes. Silk threads may have been part of the piercing process and were simply left in place for show. Once this fashion practice died off, however, it is important to note that men continued the practice of wearing a pearl teardrop in one ear for years to follow.

“Yet for thy sake I will not bore mine eare, To hang thy durtie silken shoo-tires there.” Christopher Marlowe

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pirates During the 1500s, men began wearing their hair in what might be termed as the “Elizabethan mullet.” For men’s fashion, this meant exposed ears, leading to adornment similar to men’s piercings in the 1980’s, where only one ear is pierced. The elusive poet and playwright, William Shakespeare, has been widely studied, his identity continually questioned by scholars and historians. In 1864, J. Hain Friswell famously questioned a portrait of Shakespeare, saying that it made the poet look dark skinned, Jewish, and foreign with “tricked out earrings.” Many scholars followed suit, stating that the Italian looking man couldn’t possibly be the “essentially English” Shakespeare the world knows today. However, the part of the painting that has interested viewers for centuries is the bright spot of gold in his ear. The ring stands out so garishly that it seems to be manipulated by modern technology. According to A Dictionary of English Costume, it was fashionable for men to wear a simple gold ring, a jeweled earring, or a strand of black silk through the ear. Walter Hazen states in Renaissance that men would complete the ensemble by wearing bracelets, necklaces, and perfume along with the earrings. The group most associated with earrings during this time, however, might not have worn them at all. Pirates supposedly sported the gold ring, alongside their eye patches and peg legs. Modern historians have cast doubt on the idea that pirates, at least during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650–1730), ever wore earrings. Seamen supposedly donned earrings as a mark of their travels and voyages. Earrings were given to young sailors to commemorate their first crossing of the equator, or when they rounded the treacherous waters of Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America. Some pirates were convinced that wearing an earring could improve or cure bad eyesight, believing that the precious metals in an earring possessed magical healing powers. Other tales expressed that pierced ears would prevent seasickness, or that a gold earring served as a protective talisman and that a man wearing an earring wouldn’t drown.

“This is my official portrait so we’ve only got one chance to make this earring stand out. Just really make it pop,” Shakespeare, probably1.12

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This proved to be false, but earrings made of silver or gold were worth enough to pay for a sailor’s funeral if his body washed ashore. Some seamen even engraved the name of their home port on the inside of the earring so that their bodies could be sent to their families for a proper burial. If a man died on a ship, the earrings helped to cover the cost of transporting the body home. While most of these ideas are simply speculation, wearing hoop earrings did serve one truly beneficial purpose for sailors. Doug Lennox writes in his Big Book of Answers, “Pirates, especially those who fired the ships’ cannons during close combat with the enemy, dangled wads of wax from their earrings to use as earplugs.” Maybe the sailors weren’t protected from drowning, seasickness, or bad eyesight from earrings, but perhaps they aided in protecting against hearing loss. However, no contemporary sources depict pirates with earrings. It seemed to be a fashion trend only for nobility that wore fluffy neckbands and spent time with the Queen. The most probable cause for gold hoops correlating with pirates in modern literature is Howard Pyle, an illustrator and author in the 1800s. Pyle wrote and illustrated a number of pirate themed books, where the pirates were depicted wearing earrings. These images later became iconic, with silent film stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. wearing earrings while playing pirates in the movies. This, more than anything, gave modern media the impression that Blackbeard may have sported gold hoops.

An Elizabethan Era cabinet door, featuring someone who probably isn’t a pirate, but who does have an earring.1.13

“Should I get a big pearl, or a ridiculously large pearl?” Sir Walter Raleigh, probably, as he picked out the ridiculously large pearl 1.14

TH E E ARLY H I S TO RY

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THE CURATED EAR A new piercing term has seen a rise in popularity on social media recently: the “curated ear.” This is a new way to describe a particular approach to ear piercings. Instead of simply adding a new piercing to your ear, the “curated ear” entails having a one-on-one conversation with a piercer where he or she makes suggestions for not only a new piercing (or piercings), but for jewelry for existing piercings that will work with the anatomy of the ear to create a unified and aesthetically pleasing look. Instead of concentrating on one piercing at a time, it involves looking at the anatomy and layout of the entire ear. This is not the first time we’ve seen social media make a piercing popular: in the Spring of 2012, issue #58 of The Point, the quarterly journal

The curated ear is a celebration of piercing as an art form—you

of the Association of Professional Piercers, reported on the spike in pop-

curate your ear piercings with

ularity of the triple forward helix piercing. The story reported on the fact

carefully selected pieces, as

that piercing studios all across the United States had clients coming in with the same photo pulled up on their phones, asking for the same set of piercings. But this time it’s a little different. The curated ear involves more than an individual piercing or group of piercings, and entails planning out the entire ear.

you would picking paintings for a gallery.2.1

Never let a piercer change your piercings if they’re not wearing gloves! Otherwise, this is a fun photo.2.2

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The curated ear phenomenon is not entirely new, but the term really started to gain traction on social media through the middle to end of 2017. As of this writing, Instagram has 2880 posts under the tag #curatedear. Going through the posts’ history, New York piercer and jewelry designer Maria Tash has been one of the more prominent posters to have taken up the mantle of promoting the term and hashtag. She talked about the process in a recent article for Bustle: Jewelry designer and piercer Maria Tash is a particularly large proponent of this method, which basically means you get a bunch of piercings all at once (or work with the piercings you already have), then pick jewelry that goes nicely together to fill all the holes. “The phrase itself first emerged in late 2015, early 2016,” Tash tells me during a visit to her studio in NYC. “It describes styling of the ear with jewelry in a very deliberate and beautiful way. Something that resonates with the wearer’s personal aesthetic.” Often, this means all the jewelry comes from one shop - no more mixing and matching all those studs you’ve collected over the past decade. Ears are incredibly diverse between one person and the next, so it’s already not uncommon for our piercers to make recommendations toward what piercing would work based on the anatomy of someone’s ear. With the “curated ear,” we’re trying to determine what would work for the entire ear-not just with new piercings, but what will complement or

All ears are unique. They differ in size and shape. What works for your friend is not necessarily the best look for you, and vice

enhance existing piercings. It’s looking at the entire ear as a whole, and

versa. By planning out piercings

not just a collection of individual piercings and jewelry.

with the curated ear, you get to

There are many different piercings that are possible in the ear, and many of those are dependent on anatomy, meaning that not every piercing works for every person. We already often have our piercers talk to clients about placement and jewelry sizes before walking them through jewelry selection, and piercers will often make recommendations for piercings based on clients’ anatomy. We already try to head off any complications with particular piercing choices, with questions like, “Do you regularly wear ear buds? What ear do you use for your phone? What side of your head do you sleep on?” It’s also not uncommon for clients to come in asking us to tell them what piercings will work best in their ear-so in reality we’ve been “curating” ears for quite some time now! Many piercers would argue this is not a new service that we offer, but just a normal day at the studio.

lay them out in a way that best compliments the unique shape of your ear.2.3

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Picking the right jewelry for your piercings is important. Generally, most of the pieces should be smaller, such as studs and rings with a few larger pieces. Try to pick jewelry pieces that compliment each other. That doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean they all need to be the same material or style, but they do need to come together to complete one look. Just like putting an outfit together.2.4

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The magic lies in the layering of jewelry and choosing flattering metal colors. How pieces interact together and flatter each other is so important. This involves taste; the balance of detail, quantity and proportion,â&#x20AC;? says Maria Tash.2.5

We are no longer constrained by wearing matching hoops or necklace and earring sets and choosing different earrings for both sides of the face is very liberating. 2.6

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mursi tribe The Mursi have a reputation for being one of the more aggressive African tribes and are famous for their stick fighting ceremonyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the donga.

LOCATION Omo Valley, Ethiopia

RELIGION Animism

POPULATION 7,500

TERRITORY 2,000 km2

TRADE Cattle and Farming

LANGUAGE Mursi

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mursi tribe The Mursi people are the most popular in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. They are grouped together by the Ethiopian government with the Me’en and Suri tribes under the name Surma. Often, the Mursi people are recognizable by their large lip-plates worn in their lower lips. Contrary to some accounts, the Mursi women have not worn lip-plates to deter slave-raiders. Rather, ear and lip-plates instill a certain type of embodied morality, and are

This young Mursi girl has

ways in which the Mursi teach their children to become social, moral and

probably not met the age

healthy persons. For ear plugs, boys and girls pierce their ears with a thorn or a knife cut, and then they increasingly place larger and larger pieces of wood into the hole. Boys’ ear piercings reach about 2-3cm and for girls it can be wider. Once the opening has healed, ear plugs are put aside and only the hole remains. It is not uncommon to find that older women’s ear-opening has ripped at some point. As for why children’s ears are pierced, perhaps it relates to ideas of sociality and morality. After all, to understand is to listen (both terms are called shiga). A poorly brought up child, or a socially ‘difficult’ (dhaldhali), argumentative and cagey adult is often said to have ‘no ears’ (nyabi nginge); this expression was often accompanied by the wafting of a hand past the speaker’s ear.

requirements for lip piercing. The beads around her head were probably just for the sake of the tourists.2.7

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Portrait of Nachera, Mursi Tribe, Minisha Village, Omo Valley, Ethiopia.2.8

Portrait of Arbile, Mursi Tribe, Minisha Village, Omo Valley, Ethiopia.2.9

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MAASAI TRIBE The Maasai are considered one of the tallest people in the world with their average height being 6 ft 3 inches.

LOCATION Kenya, Tanzania

RELIGION Deity Enkai

POPULATION 841,622

TERRITORY 160,000 km2

TRADE Cattle

LANGUAGE Maa

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maasai tribe The practice of ear gaging has been common among Maasai men and

In the last few years, tribal

women for thousands of years. In recent years, however, most young

elders have fought battles over

men have not been following this custom, although you will still find many Maasai women wearing ear decorations made from stones, cross-cut elephant tusks, wood and animal bones.

piercings in the African press, with some groups arguing that the traditional piercings are good for tourism.

The original piercing is carried out using a thorn, sharpened twig or a sharp knife point. Once healed, ear gaging is then carried out by wearing increasingly heavy jewelry that pulls the lobe down and stretches the piercing. This is the traditional way of gaging ears in the more primitive

Both men and women may have multiple piercings, but the most common is a set

cultures, although many Maasai today will use proper ear gaging tech-

of stretched lobe piercings,

niques, such as their own versions of insertion tapers or taper spikes.

combined with upper ear

Beads are a common form of ornamentation, although plugs made from bone, tusks and wood are also used. Ear piercing for both boys and girls is a rite of passage. The cartilage of the upper ear is pierced with hot iron. When this heals, a hole is cut in the ear lobe and gradually enlarged by inserting rolls of leaves or balls made of wood or mud. Nowadays plastic film canisters may serve this purpose. The bigger the hole, the better. Those earlobes that dangle to the shoulders are considered perfect.

cartilage piercings, usually just under the upper helix. The cartilage piercings may be stretched as well, though usually not by much, and are often worn with dangling beaded earrings.2.10

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Matching bead work necklaces are also very popular, and more ornate dangling earrings with larger beads, stones, or metal discs are prevalent, mostly among females.2.11

The Maasai are a perfect example of modern societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s encroachment on indigenous populations around the world, as some tribal members may at once wear traditional clothing and piercings, along with digital wrist watches and designer sandals. Either way, their continuation of traditional modification practices makes them a visually stunning and unique African culture.2.12

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KONYAK TRIBE The Konyak people believe that by taking the head of an enemy as a trophy, you would take some of his power and soul.

LOCATION Nagaland, India

RELIGION Longjing Pesao Te Khiimpu

POPULATION 243,758

TERRITORY 16,000 km2

TRADE Headhunting, gunsmithing

LANGUAGE Konyak Naga

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konyak tribe The Longwa village is situated on the eastern edge of India’s north-eastern province of Nagaland. With Myanmar on one side and India on the other, this village is home to the fierce Konyak Naga Tribe. Konyaks have been known as fierce headhunters for centuries until the 1970s. Killing an enemy and bringing back their head was considered a rite of passage and was rewarded by a tattoo on the face or the chest of the warrior. Jewelry has also been a big part of their customs; the number of heads on a warrior’s necklace showed the number of people he has killed. Skulls and bones of buffalo, deer, boars, and hornbills still decorate the walls of every Konyak house, showcasing the pride and respect of the warrior. The skulls of captured enemies were also prominently displayed once as prizes

“Heads were to us what money is to your generation. They brought us respect and meant getting a better girl for marriage. And our tattoos symbolized our achievements” Konyak Naga Tribe Member

from the generations of hunting days. But when head hunting was abolished, these skulls were removed from the homes and buried. If a warrior brought home a body part of the enemy, he would get a tattoo

This Konyak tribe member has a tattoo on his face,

on his body. If he got a head, he would get one on his face, and once the

alluding to the head(s) he has

warrior had three heads he would tattoo his neck to showcase his achieve-

taken in his lifetime.2.13

ments. The older males wear earrings made of boar horns and carry machetes, which they call daos. Tribal members live within a very disciplined lifestyle where everyone in the community has strict duties and responsibilities. Many of the tribe’s traditional practices and cultures have nearly vanished. The most feared warriors of yesteryears have almost diminished into just being a few old men with faded tattoos who can now be spotted smoking opium around the village, sharing stories about their glorious past.

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The Konyak people are experiencing a loss of rich cultural traditions in the modern age, but agree that maybe headhunting should be kept in the past. 2.15 & 2.16

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natha yogi Through mastery of their body, it was widely believed that the Natha Yogiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also had power over life and death, forces of nature, and the mental faculties of others.

LOCATION Great Rann of Kutch

RELIGION Shiva, Buddism, Hatha Yoga

POPULATION 44,000

TERRITORY No defined boundaries

TRADE Begging

LANGUAGE Jogi

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Natha yogi The word Kanphata literally means “ear split,” and is a colloquial nickname given to the Gorakshanatha, or simply Natha Yogis. They get their nickname from the practice of slitting the conch and inserting large, heavy rings into the slit to further stretch the ear. The process of piercing, called diksha, or “ear-splitting” involves a long ceremony, culminating with cuts, using a razor, that open the boy’s conch. This is then spread with jewelry traditionally made with baked or glazed terra cotta. After the piercing heals, over a period of many months, the jewelry can be replaced with other materials, such as wood, stone, glass or ivory. The boys go through the ritual sometime between the ages of five and

“By the slitting of the ears, the Aughar becomes a Yogi and

fifteen. Special saffron robes will be bought, and the entire local Kanphata

may add to his name the word

community will gather to witness and celebrate. Once the piercing is

Natha, Lord. Often he takes a

done, the boy begins begging alms from those present as a symbol of the beginnings of his life as a beggar. He will be devoted to the intense physical practices of the sect (difficult physical positions and breathing

new name to which he adds the word, Natha. He may receive as a name that of a plant or animal; e.g. Nimnatha,

exercises) as well as to the worship of Shiva, and dutiful devotion to Guru

Kanahnatha, Nagnatha.”

Gorakshanath, who founded the sect in the 12th century. Girls in Kanphata

George Weston Briggs, 1938

families do not get their conches pierced. Some references to the Kanphata yogis in the 1860s, suggest that the

These earrings are commonly

conch splitting is based on the Buddhist influence that the sect is known

called yogi's earrings and are

for. In Buddhist circles, stretched lobes were long associated with the

made of agate, glass, and

Bodhisattvas, and the practice of stretching earlobes spread throughout Asia. In the case of the followers of Gorakshanath in the 12th century, it’s possible that as time passed the location of the piercing migrated from the lobe to the conch area.

various materials. Traditionally rhinoceros horn was a favorite because of its durability and because it is a sacred animal.2.17

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The wearing of the earrings is of great importance. If one is broken, another must be substituted before the yogi can eat, engage in conversation, or carry out religious duties.2.18

Overlapping and competing with Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain communities, these yogis professed a belief in one unseen godâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a belief which allowed them to straddle the theological boundaries between various religious traditions.2.18

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lanjia saora Public opinion and gossip are important in Saora society. Persons who are too solitary, greedy, or eccentric may be suspected of sorcery.

LOCATION Odisha, India

RELIGION Hinduism

POPULATION 13,000

TERRITORY Unknown boundaries

TRADE Rice

LANGUAGE Odia

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lanjia soura Orissa (officially spelled Odisha in India) is an East Indian coastal state that rests on the Bay of Bengal. It is home to over three dozen unique tribal groups, most of whom practice ritual piercing, tattooing, or both, and among these is the Soura tribe. The Soura inhabit areas of the province that lie inland and are divided into two basic groups, primarily definable by their area of settlement and manner of dress. The real point of interest though, is their beautiful ear jewelry. Soura women commonly have multiple piercings spanning at least half the length of their helix, or outer ear rim. The cartilage in this area is generally adorned with several silver colored rings, and the lobe as well as one or both nostrils will be pierced as well. One of the defining characteristics of the Soura is in fact their very large stretched ear lobe piercings, often described as hanging so low as to touch or brush the shoulder. Much like other tribal cultures, the piercings themselves are performed using sharp plant material, and the subsequent stretching of the lobes is

The women use ornaments

accomplished primarily with dead stretching. Though it should be noted

to adorn their ear, nose, waist

that, because they are hand carving their own plugs of balsa and other woods, the difference from one size to the next is under far more control than with traditional Western dead stretching, which utilizes a pre-existing set of sizes. Today a portion of the Soura have been converted by missionaries and assimilated into modern society, but large tribal offshoots still remain, following their traditional religious, social, and cultural practices. Their homeland of Orissa is considered a place of great unspoiled beauty and cultural preservation, and hosts a famous 13th century sun temple.

and ankle.2.19

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RIKBAKTSA INDIAN The virtuous Rikbaktsa may be reincarnated as human beings or night monkeys (which are not hunted by the tribe), while the villainous are reincarnated as dangerous animals such as jaguars or poisonous snakes.

LOCATION Mato Grosso

RELIGION Myth

POPULATION 1,300

TERRITORY 50,000 km2

TRADE Hunting and gathering

LANGUAGE Erikbaktsa

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rikbaktsa tribe The Rikbaktsa, also known as Orelhas de Pau (Wooden Ears) due to their habit of using large plugs made of wood introduced in their enlarged earlobes or Canoeiros (Canoe People), were reputed as ferocious warriors in the 1960s, experienced a process of depopulation that resulted in the extermination of three quarters of their members. Now recovered, they still have the respect of the regional population in recognition for their persistence in the defense of their rights, territory and way of life. This group’s self-denomination—Rikbaktsa—means “the human beings”. Rik means person, human being; bak reinforces the meaning, and tsa is the suffix for the plural form. At 14-15 years old—when he is already able of killing large animals

The men of the Rikbaktsa tribe of the amazon stretch

such as wild pigs, tapirs, capybaras, deer etc., and already knows enough

their ears after piercing them

about the ceremonies—he used to go through the ritual of perforation of

at around 15, when they come

the earlobes, which occurred in the big celebration, in the dry season, that is the culmination of the annual ritual cycle. This rite, which is no longer practiced, introduced the boy into the age class of the grown-up men. He was then considered apt for marrying and also of taking part in the war expeditions the Rikbaktsa made against the Cinta-Larga, other neighboring groups and, later, against rubber gatherers. In this phase he would get his thirds name, soon after the ear perforation or after getting married. Currently, even without perforating their ears, young men are considered adults when they reach the adequate conditions of age and knowledge. That is when they get their third name, which generally occurs after they get married. Some men may even change their names once more, when they reach maturity, head their own malocas and have grown children, a large family and social influence.

of age for their tribe, and the ear piercing and stretching is a sign of marriage eligibility and adulthood.2.20

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Women get their names just like men, during the ceremonies of clearing the fields, but after being subjected to different rites of passage. Just as boys, each newborn girl gets a clan child name. In the past, around the age of 12, after having their period for the first time, the girls would have their noses perforated. Nowadays some have it and some have not. In any case, at this age they take â&#x20AC;&#x153;forest medicineâ&#x20AC;? in order to reduce birth pains when, in the future, they give birth. Traditionally, the Rikbaktsa father decided when his daughter would get

Men of the Rikbaktsa tribe are choosing now to forgo stretching their ears, due to the modernizing nature of

her facial tattoos, which occurred during the big celebration, in the same

the world. However, nose

occasion in which the boys had their earlobes perforated. After that she

piercing has continued

was considered a full woman, ready to get married. After the nose perforation, the young woman was entitled to a new name, generally given after she was tattooed or soon after her wedding. There is no practice of reclusion of young women except during this short period of time. Neither there are menstrual huts, nor there are rules of isolation related to menstruation among the Rikbaktsa. Today, this ritual of passage is no longer practiced, just like the perforation of the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; earlobes and the warring expeditions, in which the justformed hunter had his first experience as a warrior, thus completing his preparation to be an adult, has been abandoned. The experience of being a warrior has been replaced, in recent years, by the active participation of the young Rikbaktsa in the struggle for the recovery and maintenance of their territory.

into modern day. 2.21

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t h e l i p pi e r c e The words “lip piercing” can mean a number of different things to different people. Most commonly when we hear this phrase it refers to one of three things: labret piercing, monroe piercing, or any combination of multiples. The labret is a piercing done below the lower lip which can be done exactly in the center, or off to the side. When pierced any lower than the indent of the chin, this is commonly referred to as a “lowbret.” Monroe piercings are piercings done off center above the upper lip, which again change name (this time when pierced in the center), to Medusa, referencing the famous mythological character. Labret piercings in particular have a long and diverse historical context, having been practiced by tribal cultures across the globe for over a thousand years. The Aztecs, Mayans, Inuit, Dogon, Nuba, Makololo, and several other world tribes are known for practicing this technique, citing every size and adornment from thin shards of bone or ivory, to chips of natural semi-precious stone, and even large wooden plates. From ancient history through to the modern era, piercing of the lip has taken place on every continent and has grown in popularity to become one of the most prevalent body modifications. In Asia, parts of Europe, and the United Sates, the lips are second only to the tongue in commonality of oral piercing. The modern evolution of lip piercings includes several combinations of

A medusa piercing, shown here, is a lip piercing placed in the philtrum - the vertical groove in

multiple piercings with different names. Amongst these are snake bites,

the centre of the top lip. Medusa

shark bites, dolphin bites, cyber bites, angel bites, spider bites, canine

piercings are also known as

bites, and dahlia bites, each named for their placements and appearance.

philtrum piercings. Careful

Due partly to the rising popularity of these sets of piercings (particularly those of the lower lip), the use of BCRs, horseshoe rings, and segment rings rather than studs has regained momentum. Lip hoops like these were initially the jewelry of choice during the punk and anarchist movements of the 1970s, but with the sudden mainstreaming of facial piercing beginning in the 90’s, a flux in fashion culture caused the turn toward gem tipped stud jewelry. The mass popularity of piercings of the lip and around the mouth only continues to grow, with new styles and types being innovated all the time. The only thing that’s for certain is that we will continue to see lip piercings for a long time to come.

placement is very important, as a non-symmetrical medusa placement will noticeably affect the symmetry of the face.3.1 & 3.2

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MURSI TRIBE A woman without a lip plate lacks the graces associated with womanhood, namely, to be calm, quiet, hardworking, and above all, proud.

LOCATION Omo Valley, Ethiopia

RELIGION Animism

POPULATION 7,500

TERRITORY 2,000 km2

TRADE Cattle and Farming

LANGUAGE Mursi

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mursi tribe The Mursi, Chai and Tirma are probably the last groups in Africa amongst whom it is still the norm for women to wear large pottery or wooden discs or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;platesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in their lower lips. The lip-plate (dhebi a tugoin) has become the chief visible distinguishing characteristic of the Mursi and made them a prime attraction for tourists. A girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lower lip is cut, by her mother or by another woman of her settlement, when she reaches the age of 15 or 16. The cut is held open by a wooden plug until the wound heals, which can take around 3 months. It appears to be up to the individual girl to decide how far to stretch the lip, by inserting progressively larger plugs over a period of several months. Some, but by no means all, girls persevere until their lips can take plates of 12 centimeters or more in diameter. The Mursi are a very egalitarian community in many ways, and it is the choice of the teenage girls to have their lips pierced, and not something older women or men force upon them. Obviously, like all teenagers, they feel some degree of peer pressure, but many girls marry happily without piercing their lips, even if they sometimes change their minds and decide to go ahead with the process after they have had one or two children. So the motivations are complex. Girls and boys also pierce their ears; in terms of the risk of infection, piercing and stretching of the ear lobes is of a similar risk, and since this is practiced by both sexes (albeit achieving different diameters) there is some gender equality.

The Mursi tribe are one of the last remaining tribes in Africa to still wear traditional dress and accessories, like the lip plates and ear plugs.3.3

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It is often claimed that the size of the lip plate is correlated with the size of a woman’s bridewealth. However, this has shown to not be the case. For example, the marriages of many girls have already been arranged, and the amount of bridewealth to be paid by their husbands’ families has already been decided, before their lips are cut. Another common idea is that the practice of cutting and stretching the lower lip originated as a deliberate disfigurement, designed to make women and girls less attractive to slave traders. This ignores the fact that the Mursi themselves do not give such an historical explanation and that the practice is confined neither to Africa nor to women. Amongst the Kayapo of Brazil, for example, senior men wear a saucer-like disc, some six centimeters across, in the lower lip. Like other forms of body decoration and alteration found the world over (like ear piercing, tattooing, and circumcision), the lip plate worn by Mursi women is best seen as an expression of social adulthood and reproductive potential. It is a kind of ‘bridge’ between the individual and society—

Ataye Eligidagne, 20, dons the

between the biological ‘self’ and the social ‘self’.

largest lip disc in the world.

People might also be interested to know that although the initial 3-6 months are no doubt painful for a girl, once the lip has healed (and the Mursi have very good plant based ointments to heal these wounds), there is no pain involved (unlike Chinese foot binding and FGC, when the pain continues and can harm the quality of life in very significant ways); it is common to see women stretching their lips as if to massage them, or they tenderly allow their babies to tug on their lips without it causing them any discomfort. It somewhat effects a woman’s speech, changing an ‘s’ sound to a softer ‘th’ sound for example, but certainly not her ability to sing or communicate. It is even possible to see girls dancing energetically while wearing their lip plates. There is no doubt, however, that wearing a lip-plate, like wearers of high heels, affects a woman’s gait, slowing her down and thereby guaranteeing a certain grace.

The hardened clay disc is 59.5 cm in circumference and 19.5 cm in diameter.3.4

Contrary to popular belief, the Mursi women have no problem eating or drinking they just remove the lip plate.

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An elder Musi woman, with a torn lip and stretched earlobes in Omo Valley, Ethiopia.3.5

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The labret is a distinguishing trait that ensures she is not mistaken for a member of neighboring rival tribes who either do not pierce their lips (Kwegu tribe) or only wear small plugs inserted into their lower lips (Bodi tribe).3.6

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KARO TRIBE The Karo are the smallest sized ethnic tribe in Ethiopia, and probably in the continent as a whole.

LOCATION Ethiopia

RELIGION Ethnic religions

POPULATION 1,500

TERRITORY No defined boundary

TRADE Sorghum, maize, beans

LANGUAGE Karo

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karo tribe The Karo or Kara is a small tribe that live along the east banks of the Omo River in southern Ethiopia and practice flood retreat cultivation. The crops that are grown by them are sorghum, maize and beans. Only small cattle are kept because of the tsetse flies. These flies are large and consume the blood of vertebrate animals. Like many of the tribes in the Omo, they paint their bodies and faces with white chalk to prepare for a ceremony. The chalk is mixed with yellow rock, red iron ore and charcoal to make its color. Face masks are worn at times and they have clay hair buns with feathers in them. Red clay mixed with butter is put into their hair and clothing is made from animal skin. The women scar their chest believing it makes them beautiful. The men's scars represent an enemy or dangerous animal killed. They also wear clay hair buns which symbol a kill. A man in the tribe can have as many wives as he wants, but must be able to afford them. Most men will only marry two or three. The Karo lip piercing is performed by a large majority of the tribe, and they often adorn them with feathers, flowers, or plant matter for tourists. Day to day, however, Karo women can be seen sporting a nail or nailshaped object in their lower lip piercings.

"A close friend can become a close enemy" Karo tribal teaching

The Karo people often adorn their lip piercings with flowers and feathers, along with the elaborate body painting and headgear.3.7

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This young Karo girl is using a nail as jewelry for her lower lip piercing 3.8

Members of the Karo tribe, both male and female, will be scarred in intricate patterns across the chest and torso. For the men, this represents a ferocity in battle, but for women itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very feminine and contributes to their beauty. This Karo elder is using a reed as jewelry in her lower labret.3.9

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KAYAPO TRIBE The Kayapo have only been in contact with outside society since the 1960s and are still learning how to negotiate the new realities of a capitalist society.

LOCATION Brazil

RELIGION Traditional indigenous beliefs

POPULATION 8,638

TERRITORY 110,000 km2

TRADE Shifting cultivation

LANGUAGE Kayapo

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kayapo tribe The Kayapo Indians are one of the main Amerindian (native) groups that remain in the rain forest around the Amazon River in Brazil. The Kayapos resisted assimilation (absorption into the dominant culture) and were known traditionally as fierce warriors. They raided enemy tribes and sometimes fought among themselves. Their first steady contact with Europeans did not occur until the 1950s. Since then, they have had contact with squatters (settlers with no land rights), loggers, miners, and eventually Brazilian government officials.

Kayapo land is as large or larger than half the countries in the world. It is larger than Iceland, more than twice the

Logging and mining, particularly for gold, have posed threats to the

size of Nova Scotia, and about

Kayapos' traditional way of life. Other threats have included agricultural

as big as the state of Virginia

activities and cattle-ranching in cleared-out sections of the jungle. The

or Tennessee.

increasing destruction of the rain forest threatens the delicate balance between humans, plants, and animals successfully maintained for thousands of years by Amazon Indians such as the Kayapos. Traditionally men cover their lower abdomen with sheaths. The most striking ornamental addition to their attire is a light wooden lip disk about

Raoni Metuktire, pictured, was born into the Kayapo tribe in or around 1930. He is famous internationally as a living

two-and-one-half inches in diameter. The disk stretches their lower lip out

symbol of the fight for the

to produce the Kayaposâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; extraordinary and very distinctive appearance.

preservation of the Amazon

The usage of the lip disk is dying out among the younger men, who find it uncomfortable. In fact, younger men often wear Western-style shorts. This is due to increasing contact with Westernized Brazilians who have come to the Amazon to log, farm, or mine gold.

rainforest and of indigenous culture.3.10

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zo’É TRIBE Immediately identifiable by their long lip plugs, the Zo’é first met outsiders in 1982, when evangelical missionaries made contact. Decimated by disease soon after, their numbers are now growing again.

LOCATION Para, Brazil

RELIGION Traditional tribal religion

POPULATION 250

TERRITORY 110,000 km2

TRADE Self-sustaining

LANGUAGE Zo’é

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zo’É tribe The Zo’é are a small, isolated tribe living deep in the Amazon rainforests of north Brazil. They only came into sustained contact with outsiders in 1987 when missionaries of the New Tribes Mission built a base on their land. Their land has been officially recognized by the government, which controls access to it to minimize the transmission of potentially fatal diseases such as flu and measles. The Zo’é are polygamous, and both men and women may have more than one partner. It is fairly common for a woman with several daughters to marry several men, some of whom may later marry one of her daughters. Everyone is equal in Zo’é society. There are no leaders, though the

Though the final size is up to the individual, most adults wear a poturu about 7 inches long and 1 inch wide. Not

opinions of particularly articulate men, known as yü, carry more weight

surprisingly, the plug causes

than others in questions of marriage, opening up old gardens or establish-

serious difficulty in speaking,

ing new communities. From a young age all Zo’é wear the m’berpót—the long wooden plug

particularly with labial sounds, such as b, f, m, and p.3.11

inserted into the lower lip. The Zo’é tell how an ancestor called Sihié’abyr showed them how to use the lip plug. One of the most important ceremonies, and a rite of passage for children, is the piercing of the lower lip. A sharp bone from a spider monkey’s leg is used, and a tiny m’berpót is inserted, usually when girls are about seven and boys about nine years old. As they grow older, larger plugs are inserted. Women wear elaborate headdresses made from the soft white breast feathers of the king vulture, and paint their bodies with urucum—a vibrant red paste made from crushing annatto seeds.

Polygamy and polyandry are standard among the Zo’é; spousal jealousy is almost unheard of. The women seem to have at least a few husbands, each; fewer of the men had multiple wives. Most marriages are arrangements for food and other necessities, and are often arranged between the individual and the senior spouse of theirs.

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nostril piercing The first written record of nostril piercing dates back to the Middle East 4,000 years ago. Nostril piercing is also referenced in the Bible, indicating that it was still a common practice in the Middle East nearly 2,000 years later. The Biblical book of Genesis describes Abraham's son Isaac giving his future wife, Rebekah, a golden Shanf, which is Hebrew for "golden earring" or "nose ring". The practice of men gifting golden nostril rings to their future wives is one that continues to this day among the Bedouin tribes of the Middle East and the Berber and Beja tribes of Africa. These treasured gifts are intended as a form of insurance that represents financial security; should a woman's husband die or divorce her, she can sell her nose ring to provide for herself. Additionally, the size and value of a gifted nostril ring indicates how wealthy a man's family isâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or in some cases, the wealth of a woman's family, since there are also some Middle Eastern and African tribes that include nose rings as part of daughters' dowries. From the Middle East, the practice of nostril piercing was carried to India

As nose piercings have grown

in the 1500s by the Mughal empire, where it became a common practice

in popularity, so has the avail-

that persists to this day. Indian women will either pierce their left nostrils or both nostrils and wear phul (nostril studs) or nath (nose rings) in them. Indian women have historically been more likely to pierce their left nostrils when only having one side pierced because of beliefs stemming from the ancient Indian

ability of jewelry. Safe piercings should only have jewelry made of gold, titanium, surgical stainless steel, platinum, or niobium.4.1

natural healing system, Ayurveda. Since the left nostril is tied to the female reproductive organs and fertility in Ayurveda medicine, the theory is that piercing the left nostril will relieve menstrual pain and make child birth easier. Nostril rings were first introduced to western civilization around 1913, when the French singer Polaire sported a left nostril piercing during a tour of the U.S. However, it wasn't until the 1960s and later that nose piercings became more widely popular in the United States. In the 60's, hippies who had traveled to India brought the practice of nostril piercing with them back to the U.S. Then, in the 1970s and 1980s, punk rockers and goths adopted nose piercing as a defiant symbol of rebellion against conservative values and a physical declaration of personal independence. Today, nose rings are quite common in the mainstream of the US, Europe and beyond. There are still plenty of conservatives who frown on nose piercings, but that hasn't hampered the trend. In addition to young people, progressively more professionals in trades as diverse as business to medicine are adopting the practice of nose piercing now.

But that means that the high end jewelry manufacturers have blessed the piercing world with styles and gems, like this nose piercing on the right.4.2

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APATANI TRIBE Reciting their history orally, lacking written records of their pasts, the Apatani maintain their traditions by remembering their legendary and mythical beginnings.

LOCATION Arunchal Pradesh, India

RELIGION Donyi-Polo

POPULATION 60,000

TERRITORY 2,000 km2

TRADE Rice, agriculture

LANGUAGE Tanii

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apatani tribe The legend says that the Apatani women were the most beautiful women in any of the surrounding tribes. Raiders would ride into Arunachal Pradesh, the large state in Northern India where the Apatani live, and kidnap them. In response, the women began tattooing their faces, and stretching their nostril piercings out until large plugs could be fitted in. The tattoos and nostril plugs are now worn only by the older women in the tribe. The tradition hasn’t been practiced on anyone new since the 1970s. Whether the legend is true or not (the Apatani have no written history) the

Side view of the nostril plugs on an Apatani woman. She is one of the last living that still honors the tradition.4.3

piercings came to symbolize a sense of collective identity and unity among the women. Their facial tattoos—a single line running from the forehead

Last of a kind: Most of the

down the nose, and breaking out into a fan shape on the chin—all match.

women left with the striking

It’s also notable that stretching in general is prevalent in the community,

facial features are now in their

with many of the men and women also having stretched lobes. Over time, the nostril plugs, called yapin hulo, came to be seen as a sign of beauty and strength. According to Takhe Kani in The Advancing Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh, the piercings were originally made with a piece of sharpened bamboo, when a girl was five or six years of age, and then over time they were stretched by putting a series of either pine plugs or round pieces of bamboo into the holes to enlarge them. When they were large enough, decorative wooden plugs, or even plugs of gold and silver were put in place. Large copper rings and woven tubes can also be worn. The earlobes of both Apatani men and women are often stretched in the same way. There are nearly thirty tribes living in the Arunachal Padesh with the Apatani, and the legends of tribal raids are not a thing of antiquity. As late as the 1940s, some degree of slavery still existed in the Apatani tribe and the surrounding tribes. One photo of a captured tribesman taken during the 1940s shows him with a large log on his foot to prevent him from escaping.

late years.

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The British, who controlled India for much of their modern history, had outlawed slavery but made only minor changes to the Indian slavery systems they found in place. Slavery, whether by contract or otherwise, was beneficial to the East India Trading Company, and parliament tended to turn a blind eye. Sumi Krishna, in her Women’s Livelihood Rights, says that Apatani women, particularly in the modern day, face a difficult life. Young Apatanis— male and female alike—driven by poverty, leave their ancestral lands to find

Apatani woman on one of the farms. The Apatani are known

low paying government jobs in Itanagar—the state capital—and as young

for their ingenious farming

people leave or become educated the burden of food production on the

methods.4.4

farms has been shifted mainly to the older women of the clans. Apatani society is fiercely patriarchal, and women have few rights. They are never

Apatani tribesmen practice an

supposed to be idle, and so spend long days working in the fields. A wife is

animistic religion known as

considered a financial investment, and it’s easy, under the clan rules, for a

Donyi-Polo, where they pray

husband to divorce his wife and get a new one. Today, the practice of stretching nostrils is at an impasse. It was once a way of protecting oneself from kidnapping, and has now become some-

to the Sun and the Moon, here Sun is regarded as Mother while Moon is father. DonyiPolo is the source of light, gen-

thing for which older Apatani women are world famous. Tourism guides

erator life, sole protector of all

to Northern India list the largest Apatani villages as destinations, and spe-

creatures. It is the essence of

cifically tell when the best time will be to see these older women out and about in the village. These woman have become local celebrities of a sort, almost living museum pieces. But they’re also being increasingly recognized for their sustainable farming practices, which helped make the Ziro Valley, where the Apatani live, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Specifically of interest is their ability to grow rice and fish in the paddies, using runoff from forests above the valley that also fertilize crops of millet. Using their unique method, these crops can grow year after year without erosion or damage to the environment. This, along with their unique piercings, is causing more people to seek out these older women, who have become the caretakers of this knowledge developed over twenty generations of experimenting.

truth, justice, beauty, morality, love and goodness.

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septum piercing Septum piercing, which is the practice of piercing the cartilage wall between the nostrils, has been a common practice among tribal people and warriors throughout history. In fact, septum piercing is second only to ear piercings in popularity among tribal peoples. Many tribal people will stretch their septums so that they can insert tusks, bone, wood, and other larger natural objects. Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reasons for getting septum piercings are just as diverse as the materials they use to create septum jewelry. Beauty, religion, and marking major life milestones have been some of the most common reasons for septum piercing historically. Some tribal cultures believe in piercing the septum as a right of passage, such as when Native American boys reach the age of manhood. Others, like Australian aboriginals, favor septum piercing as a means to enhance oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physical appearance. Warrior tribes have favored septum piercings throughout history because of the fierce look this type of piercing offers, particularly when large pieces of bone are worn as septum jewelry. In parts of India and Asia, women with septum piercings were once deemed more worthy of marriage. Other ancients believed that septum piercing could enhance the sixth sense of brainwave focus, located above the end of the nose. Various cultures have preferred septum jewelry made of certain materials through time, and septum jewelry has different names in each culture. In the Mayan, Aztec and Inca cultures of South America, gold and jade were the materials of choice for septum jewelry, because of the sacred significance of these materials. Gold symbolized wealth and power, and jade was associated with strong maize crops, rulership and the soul. In

You may connect the septum piercing with the bull nose ring, but truth be told, it looks so much better on humans.4.5

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Irian Jaya, pig bone plugs as large as 25mm called Otsj are the most

The best thing about a septum

highly-regarded type of septum jewelry. Otsj are also sometimes carved

piercing (and the pretty septum

from the bones of enemies slain in battle instead of being crafted from pig bones. In New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, pig tusks are the most popular type of septum jewelry. In India, Nepal and Tibet, people wear Bulak in their septum piercings, which are also called Nathori in India. Bulak are sometimes so large that it can be hard to eat without lifting the jewelry during meals. In the past, it was more common for Bengali women to wear delicate gold Nathori rings with dangling teardrops that would slide along the bottom of the rings than it was for them to wear the nostril studs that have become increasingly more popular since the 16th century. The Nez Percé tribe of Native Americans from Washington state were literally named for their nose piercings, which have been popular among many Native American tribes throughout history. (Nez Percé translates to “nose pierced” in French.) In Australia, aboriginals wear long sticks or bone in their septum piercings to flatten their noses—a look they find most attractive.

jewelry that comes with it) is the fact that, unlike a tattoo, it's not permanent, and doesn't leave much of a trace if you decide to take the ring out for good.4.6 & 4.7

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To be sure, this nasal piercing trend is definitely an edgy look. It’s not for wallflowers; especially since wearers are likely to get asked about the in-your-face accessory by both admirers and the inquisitive among us.4.8

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Today, septum piercing is also commonly practiced in western civilization. Although septum piercing isn’t as popular overall as nostril piercing, the practice has been widely adopted by the mainstream in recent years. In the US and Europe, men are somewhat more likely to favor septum piercings, whereas women are more likely to have their nostrils pierced. Although there are still primitive cultures that perform septum and nostril piercings with natural tools, like the Bundi tribe of Papua New Guinea who use the thin end of sweet potato plants to perform septum piercings, it’s now much more common for sterile piercing needles to be used. In the US, Europe, South America, and other more modern societies, professional piercers will clean the skin to be pierced, apply an antiseptic, unwrap a sterile piercing needle, pierce the nostril(s), septum and/or bridge of the nose, and then insert sterile starter jewelry that’s typically made of surgical steel, titanium or hypoallergenic BioPlast.

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KALAM TRIBE This tribe is considered the shortest, with the average height of a mature man measuring 4 feet 11 inches.

LOCATION Papua New Guinea

RELIGION Traditional indigenous beliefs

POPULATION 8,638

TERRITORY 11,000,000 hectares

TRADE Agriculture and gathering

LANGUAGE Kalam

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KALAM tribe Simbai is the home of Kalam tribe. Kalam men are famous for their unique and impressive headdresses, one of the biggest in Papua New Guinea, made from thousands of heads of emerald green beetles, known as mimor. Their huge headdresses can exceed one meter in height. The crowns of the headdresses are decorated with animal skins and feathers of birds of paradise, parrots, cockatoos, and lorikeets. The Kalam men decorate their bodies with special bilas (body ornaments) such as kina shells, cuscus fur, flowers, necklaces made from hornbill (kokomo) beaks, a bunch of leaves attached to a belt to cover the bottom (known as a tanket, or arsegras), and sugar cane armbands. Pigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fat is used to make the body shine and provide some heat during the cold time of the day. Traditionally, the Kalam insert small round kina shells in

The men hunt and fight other

the nose and feathers of King of Saxony bird of paradise.

tribes over land, pigs and

The Kalam culture is very strong, and young boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; initiation is still practiced although more rarely nowadays. Kalam people initiate the young boys by piercing their nose, which they call sutim nus. When reached the age of 10-17 years old, the young boys go into a special boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house (hausboi) to learn about Kalam initiation rites from the elders and get their noses pierced with the cassowary bone. As the ceremony requires slathering of many pigs, extremely valuable assets for Kalam people, the male initiation may happen at the more advanced age once the required wealth is amassed.

women. Great effort is made to impress the enemy with terrifying masks, septum adornments, wigs and paint.4.9

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Young boys of the Kalam tribe look forward to growing up to get their noses pierced during the initiation.4.10 & 4.11

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Once a year, the week-long cultural festival, which is normally hosted in the third week of September, features the initiation of young boys by nose piercing (“sutim nus” in tok pidgin). Young boys about 10 to 17 years old go into a “hausboi” (men’s house) to learn about initiation rites from village elders and get their noses pierced.4.12

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DANI TRIBE After the passing of a loved one, relatives are expected to cut off the top part of their fingers as a sign of respect and grieving. The practice is meant to symbolise the pain one feels after losing a loved one with many people in the tribe often amputating multiple fingers during their lifetime.

LOCATION Papua highlands

RELIGION Protestant Christian

POPULATION 25,000

TERRITORY 11,000,000 hectares

TRADE Sweet potatoes, pigs

LANGUAGE Dani

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DANI TRIBE The Dani themselves were only first “discovered” in 1938 when, com- “There was certainly room pletely by chance, a pilot flying overhead spotted their cultivated fields. But they had long been part of a complex social network of exchange and interaction that reached across the island. Even the government patrols

for an infusion of the milk of human kindness into heir way of life since of their traditional practices—such as cutting of

and prospectors that once infested New Guinea were restricted to more

fingers when anyone died, their

accessible coastal regions, so the island’s rural inhabitants continued

methods of abortion, punish-

farming, trading and intermarrying across huge distances.

ment and revenge seemed

The ritual amputation of digits is common across the island. As anthropologist Karl Heider recalls in his ethnographic examination of the Dani,

unnecessarily crude and cruel.” Robin Hanbury-Tenison

close female relatives of males killed in warfare (not those who die from “natural” causes) “have their fingers chopped off”. This is not unique to the Dani; in fact digit/hand amputation was not unusual among men and women across the highland region before missionary intervention. Traditionally, the Dani wear penis sheaths (koteka) or grass skirts, both men and women’s chests bare. They paint their faces with natural dyes, embellishing their necks with shells and pierce their noses with boar tusks. The men carried spears and arrows, not only for hunting but also for warfare.

Dani warrior with a boar tusks through his nose in Baliem Valley during a ceremonial battle.4.13

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The Dani have traditionally been animists who believed in local gods and water spirits. Particular attention was given to the restless ghosts of the recently deceased. A great effort was made to ensure they were placated so they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cause illnesses, troubles or create imbalances, which may or may not be rectified by men with special powers.

An annual ceremony at Mount Hagen brings tens of thousands of tribal warriors who proudly display their nasal piercings.4.15 & 4.16

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KUNA YALA The Kuna have a high incidence rate of albinism, leading to their nickname of White Indians in the early 1900s. In Kuna mythology, albinos (or “sipu”) were given a special place and are considered a special race of people.

LOCATION Panama

RELIGION Traditional Kuna Religion

POPULATION 50,000

TERRITORY 378 islands

TRADE Clothing and agriculture

LANGUAGE Kuna

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kuna tribe Sewing molas is the primary art form for Kuna women and for omekits (Kuna men who are socially defined as women). Some women have special gifts for creating and cutting mola designs and for fashioning wini, strings of tiny colored beads worn wrapped around the forearms and lower legs of Kuna women to form geometric designs. Wini, mola blouses, wraparound skirts, head scarves made from imported cloth, and a gold nose ring are considered "traditional dress" for women. Most women in San Blas dress "traditionally." A few elderly women still make hammocks and ceramic vessels, but these traditional crafts are rapidly disappearing as commercial goods become increasingly available. Kuna men make baskets, ladles, wooden stools, and fans that women use to keep the fires

The female Kunaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wear a gold ring in their septum for

burning. Some men make their own clothing: a solid-colored shirt with

their whole life. Gold is very

pleats in the front and a pair of pants, also without designs. Most Kuna

coveted in Kuna society, where

men, however, wear Western clothing. Men who live in the area frequented by tourists carve small model boats and balsawood Kuna doll heads to

the female is considered a treasure, resembling gold.4.17

sell to visitors. Dugout wooden canoes are handcrafted by men who have learned this special skill. Kuna ceremonies include an ikko inna (needle ceremony), in which a

Puberty within the Kuna society is one of the most sacred

baby girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nose is pierced for a gold nose ring; an inna tunsikkalet (short

observances. The ceremony

ceremony), a puberty rite that usually lasts one or two days; and an inna

(called the "flowering") is held

suit (long ceremony), a ritual cutting of the hair that usually lasts three or more days. Once a young girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hair is ritually cut short, she becomes available for marriage. Sometimes an inna suit is held for a very young girl even though she will not be ready for marriage for many years. There are no similar ceremonies for Kuna boys. Special chants exist for birth, death, and the healing of the sick.

at the onset of menstruation (menaychy) and involves four days of almost continous cold water showers. 4.18

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yanomami TRIBE No hunter ever eats the meat that he has killed. Instead he shares it out among friends and family. In return, he will be given meat by another hunter.

LOCATION Venezuela and Brazil

RELIGION Unknown

POPULATION 35,000

TERRITORY 17,800,000 hectares

TRADE Hunting and 60 different crops

LANGUAGE Yanomame

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yanomami tribe Yanomami, also written as Yanoama or YanomamĂś, means â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;human beingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Women and girls also pierce

in their language. Their territory is in the Amazon forest around the border

their earlobes, noses, and

of Brazil and Venezuela. Most of the Yanomami use hunter-gatherers style of living with a little of farming. Because rain forests are so hot, most Yanomami people wear little clothing. They decorate themselves by painting their skin. It is considered

lower lips and put sticks called arrow canes through the piercings. They also wear flowers in their ears and tied onto cotton armbands.5.1

very rude for a Yanomami to visit friends without painting his or her body in the proper way. Yanomami also decorate themselves by piercing their ears, noses, lips, and cheeks. Others file their teeth or scar their skin as signs of beauty. Some spend hours cutting designs into their hair. Yanomami girls like to pierce their nose, lips, and ears. They insert small wooden sticks in their nose and lips. From their ears, they hang bright bird feathers. They also wear necklaces made of seeds and armbands made of fragrant leaves. The boys sometimes crown their heads with small, white hawk feathers. Globalization has created many negative impacted to the Yanomami such as destruction of their land. The Yanomami people are used to living in the forest. They had knowledge about plants, animals, and many other things in the forest. Taking away their lands means taking away their form of living. As they adapt to a new form of living to meet the trend of globalization, the world loses its diversity of culture. However, globalization still poses many positive impacts on the Yanomami people too. It allows them to tell their own stories to the outside world through many types of media. Moreover, people from all around the world can experience the life style of the Yanomami people by visiting them, which is another way of preserving their cultures.

Yanomami are constantly at war with one another, and much of Yanomami social life centers on forming alliances through trade and sharing food with other friendly groups while waging war against hostile villages.

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MATIS TRIBE Whereas elder Matis traditionalists are keen to retain and in some cases readopt their old way of life, the younger Matis have been influenced by the modern outside world and want closer ties with modern Brazil, particularly for education.

LOCATION Venezuela and Brazil

RELIGION Unknown

POPULATION 35,000

TERRITORY 17,800,000 hectares

TRADE Hunting and 60 different crops

LANGUAGE Yanomame

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matis tribe Matis children receive their first piercing—on the ear lobe—at the age of four or five. Next a very fine stick may be inserted, the first paut (‘ear pendent’). Over the years the diameter of the wooden sticks is gradually increased until the point when a finger can be passed through the hole, meaning the sticks can be replaced by a disc called a tawa. Some years after the ears are pierced, at around eight years old, the child’s nose is pierced to insert the first pair of demush (‘whiskers’, like those growing on the faces of mammals): these are fine, black needles made from palm fiber. As with the previous perforation, the process lasts

Whilst they admire (and fear) the stealth and cunning of the jaguar, Matis adornments have nothing to do with the jaguar. 5.2

for several years. The number of demush increases until the nostril is almost completely filled (a dozen in each one). The next stage involves the opening of the nasal septum to insert the pendent called detashkete. The principle of gradual enlargement continues, but as in the case of the paut, only men reach the last stage of substituting the small sticks with the more sophisticated detashkete, an artifact made from a part of the shell of gastropod mollusks. Next, at the time of puberty, comes the moment to pierce the lower lip. Women begin to use the kwiot (‘lip decoration’) made from light-colored wood during the period of their first sexual relations and take good care of it. Men, by contrast, pay less attention to theirs which are much smaller. The heads of family generally use a lip decoration made from black wood. Men undoubtedly attribute less importance to these adornments, since they possess another which is placed through the upper lip. This reflects the fact that, for the Matis, the lower is female and the upper male (the man’s hammock is always placed above the woman’s). Two or three years after the first kwiot—sometimes earlier, depending on the periodicity of the rituals—is the time of the first musha, or ‘tattoos’: two parallel lines over the temples and cheeks are applied during a ritual, the culminating moment of Matis ceremonial life. In the ritual, young people of both sexes are tattooed simultaneously and in identical fashion: the motif used is the same for everyone.

Traditionally the Matis have interpreted the world through taste, which they divided between two forms: bata xo (sweet) and chimu (sour). Bitter or sour things have great power, but it’s the balance between the two that produces xo, an excess of which can lead to disaster.

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Between the ages of 16 and 20, now fully adult, men pierce their face in the area of the dimple separating the jaw and the cheeks. This then allows them to insert the mananukit, relatively thick and long sticks made from a black palm. As in the case of the kwiot adornments, the number of mananukit used was much greater in the past than the present. The gradual acquisition of ornaments literally points to the stages of the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maturation within a pre-established order. There is nothing surprising about this given that the Matis possess a fairly linear view of

Much depends on the next generation of adults. For the culture of the Matis to survive the young Matis must want

existenceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which is seen as a succession of pre-ordained stages, a

to define themselves as

gradual evolution towards a highly valued old age.

something other than young

Here the processes of maturation and the questions of relative age are of considerable importance, since they explain that everything must come in its own time: every food and every item of knowledge is likewise hierarchized. Meats, for example, are gradually introduced into the personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Brazilians, which in the vibrant melting pot of modern Brazil is no easy thing. However, 30 years after first contact the Matis are growing in self-con-

diet; a man should know how to hunt with a blowgun before hunting with

fidence, re-inventing and

a bow; a woman should know how to make a hammock before learning

reviving their social and cultural

to make pots, and so on. Techniques and knowledge should be gradually acquired. The acquisition of ornaments forms part of the same logic. Imposed in a pre-determined order, the ornaments constitute veritable age classes, giving an eminently concrete shape to the hierarchical predominance that the Matis attribute to seniority and maturity. During the second tattoo ceremony, each young man or woman is tattooed with a series of parallel lines (numbering from six to eight) on the left cheek and then the right. The number of lines designed on each cheek always differs. It can be observed that over the course of a single ritual, some youngsters are tattooed on the temples and forehead, while the oldest are submitted to the procedure on the cheeks. The Matis insist on a difference, though: the first procedure (forehead/temples) is more painful than the second (cheeks).

traditions, therefore their future is far from determined.5.3

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PART S IX

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NAVEL PIERCING In ancient times the body piercing was considered as sign of manliness and courage. The Egyptian Pharaohs believed the earring at the navel to be a sign of ritual transition from the life at the Earth to the eternity. The history of navel piercing has been particularly misrepresented as many of the myths promulgated by Malloy in the pamphlet Body & Genital Piercing in Brief continue to be reprinted. For instance, according to Malloy's colleague Jim Ward, Malloy claimed navel piercing was popular among ancient Egyptian aristocrats and was depicted in Egyptian statuary, a claim

Unlike ear piercings, there is an optimal body type for navel piercings. It all depends on where the stomach creases

that is widely repeated. Other sources say that there are no records to

and whether there will be

support a historical practice for navel piercing.

stress put on the jewelry and

The navel piercing is one of the most common body piercings today. Popular culture has played a large role in the promotion of this piercing. The navel piercing first hit the mainstream when model Christy Turlington showed her navel piercing at a fashion show in London in 1993. The popularization of the piercing, however, is accredited to the 1993 Aerosmith music video for their song "Cryin'," wherein Alicia Silverstone has her navel pierced by body piercer Paul King. The easy concealment of a navel piercing with clothing, even during the healing process, has contributed to the widespread adoption of this piercing.

wound.6.1

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contemporary navel piercings

Before nasty women in pantsuits—but after

to five navels each day, and sells another five

rocker chicks with shoulder pads—came

navel bars to customers daily. While there

“dirrty” girls with belly-button rings. (Just ask

are no national statistics readily available

Christina Aguilera.) The zeitgeist of the late

regarding the perceived rise and fall of navel

1990s and early 2000s made navel piercings

piercings, Czernikowski says that anecdotal

a ubiquitous symbol of sex appeal, but they

experience among other piercing profes-

seem to have disappeared from the navels of

sionals seem to confirm the longevity of

both pop stars and girls next door. Whatever

navel piercings’ popularity.

happened to the trend that took young, free-spirited women by storm?

According to Czernikowski, navel piercings first rose to fame thanks to the 1970s gay leather

If you ask Sara Czernikowski, who manages

movement. “I could go on [forever] about how

a Rochester, New York, piercing shop called

we attribute all modern body modification to

Dorje Adornments, nothing ever happened.

the gay leather scene in New York City from the

Although Czernikowski says 1985 to 2005

early 1970s to now,” Czernikowski says. She

undoubtedly served as the peak for navel

points to the Gauntlet, a body piercing studio

piercings, the number “has not dropped dra-

originally run out of founder Jim Ward's West

matically since.” In fact, her shop pierces three

Hollywood home, as a huge influence on the

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culture. Eventually the Gauntlet opened shops

the stigma associated with belly-button rings

in San Francisco, New York City, and Seattle,

is both the reason it rose to mainstream fame

helping to set the standards and practices for

and a frustrating display of misogyny. “I think

body piercing nationwide.

navel piercings are unfairly maligned because

“Without the leather scene,” Czernikowski says, “there would have been no Gauntlet. Without the Gauntlet, there would have been no inspira-

of their association with young women and adolescent girls,” Wilkerson says. “It’s pretty gross and sexist.”

tion for ‘Cryin’’ [the 1993 Aerosmith video that

The late ’90s and early 2000s were the eras

popularized the trend with women] and there-

when Britney, Janet, Christina, and Shakira

fore no surge in popularity for navel piercings.”

were just a few of the pop divas who bared their

In Aerosmith’s infamous video, Alicia Silver-

fancy navel jewelry. For many, Britney’s 2001

stone is seen getting a navel piercing, although “she admitted to having a stand-in for the actual piercing [because] she found it ‘disgusting,’” according to Czernikowski. Once the video for “Cryin’” dropped, Silverstone rose to fame, and so did navel piercings—and, thus, the associ-

midriffs and gyrated on stage while showing off “I’m a Slave 4 U” performance at the VMAs forever serves as the epitome of bold sexuality. She rocked a revealing green get-up, a dazzling navel chain, and yes, the infamous snake. It’s this association that made navel pierc-

ation of belly-button rings with young women

ings so taboo—and all the more desirable—for

was born. Even the phrase “belly-button ring”

teenage girls during the piercing’s heyday.

is rather infantile, but that’s exactly how navel

Danielle Hayden, who is now 28, experienced

piercings came to be known.

resistance when she asked her parents for permission to pierce her navel in high school

How does piercing a cavern of your body that collects lint and bacteria strike people as sexual?

for this very reason. She explained that her dad “thought it was a sexual thing and kept saying stuff about me wanting to look sexy.” However, Hayden’s parents were not the only ones to make assumptions about the very aesthetic she loved so much. “There was a guy I

Missy Wilkerson spent the 1990s as a piercing

was attracted to in college who assumed I was

apprentice who was so passionate about body

more sexual than I was because I had a navel

modification that she had a plethora of pierc-

piercing,” Hayden explains. Despite her chaste

ings herself—including one on her labia, which

nature at the time, her piercing was associated

she pierced at home. Wilkerson agrees that

with a sexuality she had not yet fully developed.

The inability to allow navel piercings to just

In Czernikowski’s shop, “men often get navel

be exactly what they are - a piercing - is a

piercings,” she says. Because of the shop’s

microcosm of our larger inability to separate

large selection, the navel jewelry offered at

“sexy” from “sex.” Sure, a navel piercing can

Dorje Adornments is as diverse as the clien-

be sexy, even if that wasn’t the wearer’s

tele. In the spirit of a navel-piercing-for-all

intended purpose. But by sexualizing a piece

movement, Czernikowski says, “The men who

of jewelry, we restrict a trend’s ability to be

work for us have navel piercings as examples

universally embraced.

to clients that there is no gender attached to

This is perhaps most apparent when bringing

body modification.”

gender into the picture. Even before the gay leather movement of the 1970s, Czernikowski explains, the very first wearers of navel piercings were men, and the adornment may date back to ancient Egyptian civilization. But because of the pop culture takeover of the late ’90s and early ’00s, which branded navel rings as youthful and feminine, a piercing that was previously non-gendered became incredibly gender-exclusive.

The inability to allow navel piercings to just be exactly what they are—a piercing—is a microcosm of our larger inability to separate “sexy” from “sex.”

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The average navel-piercing client at Dorje

In the meantime, patrons across the country

Adornments is a 30-year-old woman. Women

will still flock to their nearest piercing shops,

ages 15 to 19 and women over 40 are tied for

keeping the aesthetic of the late 1990s alive.

the second biggest female client groups, which might strike some as a surprise. No, navel piercings aren’t just for hormonal teenage girls, and no, they are not obsolete. There are those who think the navel piercing is not only outdated but also childish, but clearly that is not the case.

Missy Wilkerson, the fiery spirit who once spent her days apprenticing in a piercing shop, rocks a single septum piercing these days. When she thinks back to her navel piercing— which she had to remove a couple years ago because of rigorous karate training—she has fond memories of the aesthetic she can no

Although its mainstream popularity has been

longer enjoy. “I loved the way the navel piercing

stymied by both the oversaturation of navel

looked,” she said. “And I loved my jewelry—a

piercings and growing acceptance of body

curved barbell with a winking red stone that

modification in general, it may be time for a

resembled a garnet, my birthstone.”

comeback. Crop tops, chokers, and velvet are all recently resurrected trends, so perhaps navel piercings will have their moment in the

Navel piercings may not be plastered everywhere these days; they have taken a break from

sun again.

the limelight in favor of a more quiet popularity.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll get to see a stud

pantsuits and shift dresses and jumpsuits, the

But sheathed underneath button-downs and

like Liam Hemsworth, Joe Jonas, or Chris

navel piercing lives on in men and women of

Pratt rocking some navel jewelry right along-

all ages.

side babes like Beyoncé (who wore a navel ring on the cover of Shape), Demi Lovato, and Vanessa Hudgens. In the meantime, patrons across the country will still flock to their nearest piercing shops, keeping the aesthetic of the late 1990s alive.

Perhaps navel piercings are a sign of liberation. Perhaps they are a sign of youthful rebellion. Or perhaps they are just a sign that yes, navel piercings look damn cool.

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nipple

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TH E N I P P L E P I E RCE

nipple piercing Isabella of Bavaria, Queen of France, loved a plunging neckline. In fact, she loved them so much that she invented "garments of the grand neckline," which dragged her neckline all the way down to her navel. The fashion statement complimented her jewelry; she had pierced her rouged "little apples of paradise" (her 14th-century euphemism for nipples) with diamonds connected by chains of pearls and gold, which she sometimes even decorated with tiny nip caps. Often credited as the first woman to have worn nipple piercings, Isabella

Nipples can be pierced in many different ways, but horizontally is the most popular. They can also be done verti-

may have instigated the trend's popularity among wealthy women in the

cally and diagonally though,

late 14th- and early 15th-century, but her adorned apples can't explain why

and look equally awesome.

it became "almost expected that women would have their nipples pierced" in some Western European cities in the 1890s, and why today roughly nine percent of women have theirs done. Unlike ear or clit piercings, the modification hasn't held a sustained high or low popularity, but has instead ebbed and flowed through the ages. While Isabella may have started a nipple piercing trend, she wasn't the first to realize her breasts were worthy of decor. According to The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body, women used to be more apt to accessorize their nipples in ways that wouldn't interfere with breastfeeding. "Three thousands years ago, in ancient Egypt, high-status women enjoyed covering their nipples lavishly with gold paint," zoologist Desmond Morris writes. "In ancient Rome, 2,000 years ago, the preference was to decorate nipples with rouge, to spice up erotic encounters." In fact, pierced nipples started out as an accomplished man's body-modof-choice, worn proudly to symbolize masculinity. Julius Caesar was said to have had one of his nipples pierced, as the accessory was a sign of strength in ancient Rome; and sailors would celebrate crossing a significant longitude or latitude with a single ring, according to Margo DeMello's Encyclopedia of Body Adornment. But while masculinity has hung on, this ritualistic trend has for the most part died, with Texas's Karankawa Native Americans boring cane into their nipples up until their extinction in the late 19th-century, according to the Encyclopedia of American Indian Costume.

Plus, if you're into a more extreme look, you can have multiple piercings through the same nipple.7.1

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By the late 19th-century, though, women were just getting started with putting holes in their nipples. In major Western European metropolises like London and Paris, the piercing was having a definite moment, and for a variety of reasons—the main being that it walked the line between fashionable and kinky. Many studies on the topic reference a magazine article, published in the 1890s in Victorian England, about people getting their nipples pierced, and connecting those nipples with chains, including The Golden Age of Erotica and The Book of Kink: Sex Beyond the Missionary. "In the late 1890s the 'bosom ring' came into fashion briefly and sold in expensive Parisian jewelry shops," writes Steven Kern in Anatomy and Destiny: A Cultural History of The Human Body. "These 'anneaux de sein' were inserted through the nipple, and some women wore one on either side linked with a delicate chain. The rings enlarged the breasts and kept them in a state of constant excitation."

“The piercing is done incredibly fast, less than an second for the needle to get through.” Says Cantwell, “Deep breath in and deep breath out and it is done.” Perhaps try to channel your inner yogi and swot up on some deep-breathing exercises.7.2

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These body modifications weren't necessarily well received by the rest of society, according to Kern. "The medical community was outraged by these cosmetic procedures, for they represented a rejection of traditional conceptions of the purpose of a woman's body." What were previously just teats for infants to suck, nipples with piercings became a sign of rebellion and source of pleasure. This, in turn, also made them an expression of privilege, as wealthy white women could often be called "rebellious" without severe punishment. It's difficult to believe every source about the "fad," Charles LaFave writes on BME: Body Modification Ezine, as it can be assumed that some accounts about its popularity are exaggerated, but after finding evidence in magazines from the time period, he comes to the conclusion that the accounts are, for the most part, grounded in fact. Selma Kadi, a German student at the University of Vienna in 2007, also tasked herself with digging up the truth in John Bull beim Erziehen, which further corroborated the stories. "One correspondent cites a brochure by a New York physician who complains of young American women going to Europe and getting breast-rings in Paris," Kadi writes, noting that the piercing was often associated with

"There are so many different options for jewelry but most people tend to like wearing a barbell." Says Cantwell. In fact, the world of nipple adornments is your sparkling oyster, as there are plenty of options to suit a variety of tastes. "They can be as simple as a steel barbell, all the way to solid gold with diamonds and genuine gems. With body jewelry these days, the jewelry is only limited by the client's imagination as we work with companies like Anatometal,

"ladies of the demi-monde" in La vie parisienne and Fin de siĂ¨cle magazines.

Industrial Strength, and Body

"The brochure sees breast-rings as dangerous to health and encouraging

Gems to make custom gem

'unhealthy sensualityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;." Those health concerns, combined with societal prudishness, are what likely led to their downfall. "I think nipple piercing became unpopular because it was thought to be painful, [it] interrupted good breastfeeding, and it was considered a health risk," Rayner W. Hesse, author of Jewelrymaking Through History: An Encyclopedia, tells Broadly over email. "[Also], in the early 1900s, it was considered vulgar by the more Puritan mindset in America at the time." But in the 1960s, nipple piercings started catching on in the United States for the first time, though it only become relatively common in the gay and BDSM scene. Fakir Musafar and Jim Ward, two revered characters in the LGBTQ community, pierced theirs around this time, and these practices influenced much of the body modifications in the kink and queer community, then and today. Today, the trend is seeing a seemingly out-of-nowhere rise in popularity, according to local piercing shops. Adam Block, the general manager and senior piercer at Brooklyn's The End is Near, says he's seen a huge increase in the number of nipple piercing in the past year for women between the ages of 18 and 25. He says it's not unusual to do eight nipple piercings in a day. He estimates 80 percent of those are for women.

configurations and sizes for the jewelry.

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For a long time I could not understand why I should consent to such a painful operation without sufficient reason. I soon, however came to the conclusion that many ladies are ready to bear the passing pain for the sake of love. I found that the breasts of those who wore rings were incomparably rounder and fuller developed than those who did not. My doubts were now at an end... so I had my nipples pierced, and when the wounds were healed, I had rings inserted... with regard to the experience of wearing these rings, I can only say that they are not in the least uncomfortable or painful. On the contrary, the slight rubbing and slipping of the rings causes in me an extremely titillating feeling, and all my colleagues I have spoken to on this subject have confirmed my opinion. London socialite writing in Vogue, 1890

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As to why the holes in our nipples are piquing our interest again, the reasons likely mimic those from the Victorian age: aesthetics, cultural status, and sexual arousal. Although Block gives only one reason for why he thinks this trend has shot up in popularity in the past yearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;celebrities. "It's all Kylie's fault!" Block jokes over email. Allen Dabbs, a piercer at generation8tattoo in Los Angeles, also credits Kylie Jenner, who famously Instagrammed a picture that showed her ring popping through a lavender shirt in January 2015, though she deleted after it caused "controversy." While celebrities like Bella Hadid, Rihanna, and even Kendall Jenner have theirs done, everyone's going after Kylie's look. "I've had quite a few clients come in asking what side they should get it on because Kylie Jenner has it on that particular side," Dabbs says. However, Block and Dabbs don't think they'll ever be as popular as ear piercings. "I think too many people have placed this stigma on nipple piercings, associating them with many different things like 'being a slut' or being 'too painful to receive,'" Dabbs says. We will never truly know if they are as popular as we imagine they are. But Adrian Castillo of New York City's Adorned is a little more optimistic, raising a fair point: Since we aren't all wearing dresses with plunging necklines, nipple rings could be infinitely more popular than we could ever estimate. We just can't see it. "It's such a private piercing to some people that you could be in a room full of suits and you'd be surprised by what they have under their clothes," he says. "I think the cool thing about nipple piercing is that we will never truly know if they are as popular as we imagine they are."

conclusion Excerpt from The Piercing Bible by Elayne Angel

Body piercing has undergone a truly explosive revoluEven though piercing is widespread, negative stetion in recent decades. After a long history among tribal reotypes about visibly pierced people still persist. peoples followed by years of obscurity at the fringes of Unfortunately, we sometimes perpetuate disapprovWestern society, body piercing has now achieved massive ing perceptions ourselves. If we are to gain respect, all worldwide popularity in contemporary culture. Whether piercers and piercees must demonstrate to the people done as a reaction to the high-tech world, a display of peer around us—families, neighbors, and strangers alike—that bonding, or a statement of rebellion, modern body piercing we are human like everybody else (though a bit more has touched the lives of countless people. If you don’t wear fancy and full of holes). a piercing of your own, surely you know someone who When you show off your body art, you become a liaison does (even if you are unaware of it). Whatever the reason for the modified whether you want to or not. Try to be for getting a piercing, there is something special about tolerant with strangers. It does require patience when body piercing and other forms of modification that stirs you are asked, “Didn’t that hurt?” for the thousandth time, the human desire to adorn the body. This deep-seated but through your behavior, you can foster acceptance drive is an important element that will help to sustain the wherever you go. popularity that body piercing has achieved. When you are visibly adorned, it is unreasonable to While body art still is not considered entirely main- expect that people will not look—or even gawk—at you, stream, virtually everyone is now aware of the concept. depending on the extent of your modifications. Handle As recently as the 1980’s, this was not the case. Time the attention with tact and maturity; don’t react with the and repeated exposure have helped to lift piercing from “What are you looking at?” sneer. You know what inspires the dark realm of subversive activities, and it continues to their stares. Instead of fulfilling their expectation with an develop into a more “normal” activity. Ongoing familiarity angry, aggressive response, surprise them by being perleads to ever greater acceptance. sonable instead. Do your best to be informative and articIn addition to the original groups who engaged in ulate. When you consistently behave in this manner, you piercing, a number of other subcultures embrace the will dispel negative attitudes toward piercees, one person practice. Belly dancers, bikers, goths, Wiccans, skate- at a time. boarders, and naturists/nudists often share piercing as One great advantage of our modern society is the a common interest. Piercing is not mandated by any of remarkable array of acceptable ways to customize these groups, but it can strengthen connections between yourself and your life. Women can opt for careers over people who meet to share other mutual interests. In some children, and men can be stay-at-home dads. You can live cases, piercing functions as a formal or informal ritual or a BDSM, vegan, or rave lifestyle—or another alternative of rite of passage. This can have great meaning for those your choice. You can hire a stylist to update your look or who participate, and it may serve to deepen their bonds. a doctor to alter your appearance. If having your fat surThe Internet has also contributed enormously to the gically sucked out and injecting botulism toxin into your escalation of piercing. Millions of people around the world face have become standard practices for beautification, it every day share information and photos and participate in is not a big stretch to understand how a ring or gem in blogs, forums, and chats on the Web. These virtual com- a nose, eyebrow, or navel piercing could gain prevalence. munities help to connect fervent piercing fans to each Body piercing has been a part of our world for millennia, another and form an important backbone for piercing in and now that it has earned a place in the grand buffet of today’s world. personal options, there is no taking it off the table. You Openly pierced celebrities continue to inspire fads and have the opportunity to choose for yourself: to pierce or fashions in piercing when they are shown in print and on not to pierce. The decision is yours. TV flaunting their latest adornments. They continuously generate trends as fans emulate their favorite stars’ piercings and styles of jewelry.

glossary piercing types

captive rings, single- or multi-loop helix rings, short straight barbells with decorative cuffs attached, ear cuffs that don't require any piercing at all to be worn, and more. Cheek Piercing Facial piercings with an oral side typically placed in opposing pairs through the cheeks to either highlight existing dimples or create the appearance of one having dimples, which is why cheek piercings are also known as dimple piercings. The most common type of jewelry for dimple piercings are labret-style cheek piercing barbells with extra long posts. Cheek piercings are a higher risk type of piercing that should only be performed

Angel Bites Piercingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bite Piercings A pair of lip piercings placed

by experienced professional piercers. When done improperly, one

on either side of the philtrum, on the upper lip. The two piercings

or both parotid ducts may be permanently damaged, possibly

are actually just horizontal upper lip piercings that are typically

causing saliva to constantly flow down the outside of the cheek(s)

called Monroe, Madonna or Crawford piercings when performed

or leading to recurring infections. This is just a warning and

independently instead of in a pair. Labret studs are the most

shouldn't deter you from getting cheek piercings if you really want

common type of body jewelry worn in angel bites piercings.

them; just make sure you find a reputable piercing artist who has

Anti-Eyebrow Piercing A piercing placed below the eye, some-

successfully performed dimple piercings before to pierce your

times at an angle on the top of the cheek bone. Anti-eyebrow

cheeks.

piercings are typically done using surface piercing barbells, but

Christina Piercing A vertical surface piercing placed through the

two dermal piercings may also be placed side-by-side to give the

pubic mound, above the female clitoris. This is one of the hardest

appearance of an anti-eyebrow surface piercing.

types of female genital piercings to get to heal properly, due to

Anti-Tragus Piercing A piercing of the ear cartilage directly above

the fact that it's a surface piercing and that it's constantly irri-

the earlobe, across from the tragus. Micro bent barbells, micro

tated by underwear and other clothing. A special type of surface

straight barbells or small captive rings may be inserted in anti-tra-

barbell known as a Christina piercing barbell is the exclusive type

gus piercings.

of jewelry used for Christina piercings.

Belly Button Piercing A piercing placed through one edge of

Conch Piercing A piercing of the ear conch, which is the lower

the rim of the navel, also known as navel piercings or simply as

inner ear cartilage, in between the earlobe and the upper rim of

belly piercings. Belly button piercings are most commonly placed

the ear. Conch piercings may be performed with a piercing needle

through the tissue above the navel so that the belly button ring

followed by a labret stud or micro straight barbell, or they can be

inserted hangs over top of the belly button itself. Alternate place-

made larger using a dermal punch to accommodate a conch pin

ments may be done from the left and right sides of the navel,

or other small plug or tunnel.

beneath the navel, or from any other point around the rim of the

Cyber Bites Piercing A Medusa piercing placed through the

navel cavity. Typically, standard belly button rings are comprised

philtrum centrally above the upper lip combined with a standard

of a bent barbell and two different sized and/or shaped ends, but

labret piercing placed centrally below the lower lip are known as

captive rings and other styles of belly rings are also available.

cyber bites when performed simultaneously. Labret studs are the

Bridge Piercing A horizontal surface piercing of the tissue at the

most common type of cyber bites jewelry.

bridge of the nose. The most common types of jewelry used in

Dahlia Bites Piercing (a.k.a. Joker Bites) A pair of piercings

bridge piercings are straight barbells and bent barbells.

placed to the left and right sides of either corner of the mouth.

Canine Bites Piercing (a.k.a. Shark Bites) Two pairs of lip pierc-

This piercing gets its name from the grisly Black Dahlia murder,

ings, placed on the left and right sides of both the upper and lower

in which the victim's mouth was cut at the corners. Dahlia bites

lips equidistance apart from each other, are known as canine bites

are also known as joker bites, because of the way they tend to

or shark bites. Placed independently of each other, the upper lip

elongate a person's grin, mimicking the over-exaggerated smile of

piercings would be considered Monroe piercings, and the lower

the Joker from the Batman comics.

lip piercings would be side horizontal lip piercings. Typically, a set

Daith Piercing A piercing placed through the cartilage immediately

of four labret studs will be used for this set of lip piercings, but

below the point where the helix connects to the head and the carti-

captive rings or circular barbells could be worn in the two lower lip

lage continues to curve in.

piercings instead.

Dermal Piercing A single-point piercing that goes through the

Cartilage Piercing A piercing placed through any part of the car-

epidermis and embeds a dermal anchor into the dermis beneath.

tilage of the ear. Cartilage piercings include helix piercings, indus-

A decorative dermal top is then screwed into the dermal anchor

trial piercings, rook piercings, daith piercings, tragus piercings, and

so that the jewelry appears to be sitting atop the surface of the

other types of cartilage piercings. These piercings accommodate

skin. As an alternate to the more typical two part type of dermal

a variety of different styles of body jewelry, but labret studs tend

jewelry, skin anchors (a.k.a. skin divers) may be inserted. These

to make the best starter jewelry for any cartilage piercing. Other

are single pieces of dermal jewelry that have permanently con-

styles of cartilage piercing jewelry include industrial barbells,

nected bases and tops. Over time, tissue grows up around and/

or through a dermal anchor (depending on if it has a solid base

industrial piercing fistulas.

or one with holes in it) to secure the anchor in place and make it

Joker Bites Piercing See the "Dahlia Bites Piercing" definition

possible to change the decorative dermal tops without dislodging

above.

the anchor beneath the surface of the skin. A dermal anchor holder

Labret Piercing A type of lip piercing that's centered below the

tool is helpful to those who choose two piece dermal jewelry and

lower lip. Traditional labret piercings are played horizontally to the

want to change their decorative tops periodically.

ground through the skin immediately below the lower lip, whereas

Dolphin Bites Piercing A pair of lower lip piercings placed side by

vertical labret piercings go straight through the lower lip vertically,

side through the center of the tissue beneath the lower lip, with just

so that the top ball sits centrally on the actual lower lip. Labret

a little space in between the two piercings. Labret studs or captive

studs are the most common type of body jewelry used in labret

rings may be worn in dolphin bites.

piercings, but you can also wear a captive ring, circular barbell or

Ear Piercing A piercing placed through the earlobe or any part of

labret lip loop in a standard labret piercing. Short straight barbells

the ear cartilage. Earlobe piercings are the most common types of

are the only appropriate body jewelry for vertical labret piercings.

ear piercings, but there are many other options available, most of

Lip Piercing A piercing placed horizontally through the tissue

which are cartilage piercings. Some people stretch their earlobes

above the upper lip or below the lower lip, or vertically through the

to larger gauges so they can wear plugs, hangers (a.k.a. large

actual lower lip. There are many different placement options for lip

gauge earrings) and other styles of heavier gauge body jewelry,

piercings, such as labret piercings, which are placed through the

but standard earlobe piercings accommodate post or French hook

skin below the center of the lower lip, and Monroe piercings, which

style earrings in the 20g-18g size range (g=gauge).

are placed through the left or right side of the skin above the upper

Eyebrow Piercing A surface piercing placed through the tissue

lip to mimic a mole (hence the name, since Marilyn Monroe had an

around the eyebrow. Miniature/micro bent barbells are typically

upper lip mole, as do Madonna and Cindy Crawford, whose names

worn as eyebrow rings, but actual rings (typically captive rings)

are used as alternate names for this type of lip piercing). Lip pierc-

may also be used as eyebrow piercing jewelry.

ings performed in pairs or sets of four are known as "bites", and

Facial Piercing Any piercing on the face, including eyebrow pierc-

there are several pairings of bite piercings from which you can

ings, anti-eyebrow piercings, cheek piercings, bridge piercings,

choose. The most common style of jewelry worn in lip piercings

nostril piercings, septum piercings, and all lip piercings.

is labret jewelry, but captive rings and straight barbells are also

Frowny Piercing A piercing of the lower lip frenulum, or web of

used for select types of lip piercings. In particular, BioPlast labret

tissue that connects the lower gums to the inner lower lip. Captive

studs tend to make the best lip rings, because they're made of soft,

rings, micro bent barbells and circular barbells are all good styles

flexible BioPlastic that's less likely to cause gum recession or to

of jewelry for frowny piercings.

chip a tooth.

Genital Piercing Any body piercing placed in the male or female

Lowbret Piercing A low labret piercing, placed as closely as

genital region, either through the pubic area, the actual genitalia,

possible to the point where the lower gums meet the inner cheek.

the anus, or the tissue in between the anus and genitals (known

Labret studs are the best type of jewelry for lowbret piercings.

as the perineum on men). There are many different types of male

Medusa Piercing A piercing of the central upper lip, placed

and female genital piercings from which you can choose. The type

through the area known as the philtrum. When someone gets both

of body jewelry you wear in a genital piercing is largely determined

a Medusa piercing and a standard labret piercing, the pair of pierc-

by the type of genital piercing you get. For instance, micro bent

ings is known as "cyber bites". Labret studs tend to be the most

barbells are the ideal choice for body jewelry worn in the popular

appropriate type of jewelry for Medusa piercings.

female genital piercing known as a VCH piercing (short for vertical

Monroe Piercing A piercing placed through the left or right side

clitoral hood piercing), and straight barbells are one of the most

of the upper lip, mimicking an upper lip mole. Cindy Crawford,

common styles of jewelry worn in the male genital piercing known

Madonna and Marilyn Monroe are all known for their upper lip

as a frenum piercing. Some male and female genital piercings

moles, which is why this type of piercing is known as either a

can be stretched to accommodate tunnels in addition to more

Monroe piercing, Madonna piercing or Crawford piercing. A pair of

standard styles of genital piercing jewelry like captive rings.

Monroe piercings is referred to as "angel bites". Labret studs are

Helix Piercing A piercing of the upper ear cartilage, along the upper

the most appropriate type of jewelry for Monroe piercings.

rim of the ear. Helix piercings can be placed individually, in pairs, in

Nape Piercing A surface piercing placed through the nape of the

triplets, or more. There are helix screws available that will thread

neck using a surface barbell to support the visible dermal tops

through multiple helix piercings, or you can wear labret studs,

screwed into the surface bar's two posts.

captive rings, or circular barbells in helix piercings.

Nipple Piercing A piercing of the nipple which may be placed

Industrial Piercing A piercing that spans the top of the ear, entering

vertically or horizontally through the nipple, or at any other angle

through the back of the helix and exiting towards the top-front of the

desired, although horizontal nipple piercings are most common.

helix. The area it overlays is called the scaffold of the ear, which is

A person may have one or both nipples pierced, as desired, but

why this type of piercing is sometimes known as a scaffold piercing.

more people have them done in pairs rather than as one-off pierc-

Industrial barbells are the most common type of industrial piercing

ings. The best styles of starter jewelry for nipple piercings include

jewelry, but individual captive rings may also be worn in a pair of

straight and bent barbells, because they put the least amount of

downward pressure on healing fistulas. Captive rings and other

are known as snake bites piercings when performed simultane-

styles of nipple piercing jewelry may be worn once your nipple

ously. Labret studs or captive rings can be worn in snake bites

piercings are fully healed.

piercings.

Nose Piercing Any piercing placed through part of the nose,

Snug Piercing A piercing of the antihelix, which is the rim of car-

including nostril piercings, high nostril piercings, septum piercings,

tilage that runs along the outer edge of the conch. Micro bent

bridge piercings, rhino piercings, and nasallang piercings. Nostril

barbells and captive rings tend to make the best types of snug

piercings are the most popular type of nose piercing, with septum

piercing jewelry.

piercings coming in at a close second. The two types of piercings

Spider Bites Piercing (a.k.a. Viper Bites) A pair of lower lip pierc-

require fairly different styles of jewelry. Nose rings typically refer

ings placed closely together on either the far left or right side of the

to nostril rings in the nose bone, nostril screw or fishtail styles.

lower lip are known as spider bites piercings or viper bites pierc-

Labret studs and captive rings may also be worn in nostril pierc-

ings. Labret studs are the most popular type of jewelry for spider

ings. Bent or circular barbells or captive rings are best suited for

bites piercings, but a pair of captive rings can also be worn in them.

septum piercings, although septum tusks and other styles of large

Surface Piercing A type of piercing that goes beneath the surface

gauge septum jewelry may be worn in stretched septum piercings.

of the skin, through the dermis, and that has no natural entry or

Straight barbells are most common for both rhino and nasallang

exit points the way that lip and ear piercings do. Without natural

piercings.

entry and exit points, surface piercings are more prone to migra-

Oral Piercing Any piercing of the oral cavity, including tongue

tion and rejection than other body piercings. Many different types

piercings that go straight through the center of the tongue (usually

of piercings are technically surface piercings by nature, including

more towards the back-center of the tongue), and web piercings,

eyebrow piercings and even belly button piercings to a degree.

including tongue web piercings (piercing of the frenulum that

However, classically speaking, surface piercings refer to dou-

connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth),

ble-ended piercings placed below the surface of the skin at points

smiley piercings (piercing of the frenulum that connects the upper

such as the nape of the neck, the hips, or in the case of Christina

lip to the gums), and frowney piercings (piercing of the frenulum

piercings, through the female pubis vertically above the clitoris. For

that connects the lower lip to the lower gums). Tongue rings are

standard surface piercings, a special type of jewelry known as a

the most common type of body jewelry worn in tongue piercings;

surface barbell is used. A surface barbell has two posts connected

they're just straight barbells that typically have two different sized

by a flat or round bar that runs beneath the surface of the skin, so

and/or shaped ends. Micro bent barbells make the best starter

that the only part of the jewelry that's visible are the two dermal

jewelry for oral web piercings, but fine gauge captive rings may

tops screwed into the posts on either end. This gives surface

also be worn in them.

piercings the appearance of sitting atop the surface of the skin

Orbital Piercing A pair of ear piercings placed close to each other

when in reality the main part of the jewelry is beneath the skin,

through the upper earlobe or upper ear cartilage, directly below

embedded in the dermis.

where the lower part of an industrial piercing would sit, with the

Tongue Piercing A piercing of the tongue, typically placed roughly

purpose of threading a ring through the two holes and connecting

1/3 of the way back from the tip of the tongue, so that the bottom

them. The ring will look like it's orbiting the edge of the ear, which

ball of the tongue ring inserted sits in front of the tongue frenulum.

is why this is called an orbital piercing. Captive rings are the most

A tongue "ring" is actually a straight barbell with a smaller bottom

popular style of jewelry worn in orbital piercings.

ball and a larger top ball or other decorative top that's sufficiently

Rook Piercing An ear piercing placed through the upper-inner rim

large enough to prevent the jewelry from sliding through the

of ear cartilage that runs over top where a daith piercing would

fistula. There are other much less common tongue piercing place-

be placed, above the conch. Micro bent barbells and captive rings

ment options, including forward tongue piercings and horizontal

tend to be the best type of rook piercing jewelry.

piercings through the tip of the tongue. You can also get multiple

Shark Bites Piercings See the "Canine Bites Piercing" definition

traditional tongue piercings, which are known as venom piercings

above.

when placed as a pair of piercings side-by-side through the right

Septum Piercing A piercing of the soft tissue in between the nose

and left halves of the tongue. The only time anything other than a

cartilage and the underside of the nose, which is often referred to

straight barbell can be used for a tongue piercing is with tongue

as the "sweet spot". Captive rings, circular barbells, pinchers, bent

tip/forward tongue piercings, which can accommodate a captive

barbells, and septum tusks may be worn in septum piercings.

ring or circular barbell that's horseshoe shaped.

Smiley Piercing A type of web piercing placed through the upper

Tragus Piercing A piercing of the tragus, which is the flap of car-

lip frenulum, which connects the upper gums to the inner upper lip.

tilage that protrudes from the side of the head where the center

Captive rings, circular barbells and micro bent barbells all make

of the ear connects to the head. Micro bent barbells, labret studs,

good smiley piercing jewelry, but bent barbells tend to work best

captive rings, and circular barbells all make ideal tragus piercing

during the healing process, because they put the least amount of

jewelry.

downward pressure on the healing fistula.

Transverse Lobe Piercing A surface piercing placed through the

Snake Bites Piercing A pair of horizontal lower lip piercings placed

earlobe vertically rather than horizontally, as standard earlobe

through the left and right sides of the tissue beneath the lower lip

piercings are placed. Transverse lobe piercings are more likely

to migrate out or be rejected entirely than other types of ear piercings, which can cause significant damage to the earlobe. Uvula Piercing A piercing of the epiglottis, or uvula, which is the stretchy flap of tissue that dangles down from the center back of the throat at the entrance to the larynx. If you have a strong gag reflex, a uvula piercing may not be the best oral piercing for you. Viper Bites Piercing See the "Spider Bites Piercing" definition above. Web Piercing A piercing of any frenulum, including the webbing between the fingers and toes, the tongue frenulum, and the upper and lower lip webs that connect the inner lips to the gums. Web piercings are technically surface piercings in nature, which means that they tend to be more prone to migration and rejection than other body piercings. When it comes to web piercings placed on the hands and feet, labret studs make ideal body jewelry. The flatter bottom side of the jewelry is less likely to get in the way when using your hands or feel uncomfortable when wearing shoes than something like a straight barbell with balls on both ends. As for oral web piercings, micro bent barbells are ideal starter jewelry, and captive rings may be worn in well-healed oral web piercings.

glossary piercing terms

Cannula A narrow plastic sleeve around the outside of a piercing needle. When piercing, the sleeve stays in place after the needle is withdrawn and is then used as a guide in order to put the jewelry into place before being removed. Captive bead ring A popular style of ring that holds a bead in place tightly by clamping it between the two bent ends. The bead can only be removed by opening the ring with special pliers. Cartilage Tough, rubbery tissue that gives shape to areas such as the nose and ears. It is more pliable than bone but thicker and stronger than skin tissue. It does not have much blood supply, so it

Alcohol Swab A small cloth or cotton ball swab saturated in isopro-

takes longer to heal when pierced.

pyl rubbing alcohol that used to be used to clean the area of skin

Chloroxylenol An antiseptic solution that is very effective in piercing

before a piercing. This is no longer done because of its limited effec-

aftercare because it fights bacteria, yeasts and fungi. It is available

tiveness in getting rid of enough bacteria and the tendency to overly

in products such as Provon® medicated lotion soap.

dry the skin. Don’t use these to prep the area for piercing.

Chondritis A bacterial infection of the cartilage. If you suspect that

Alloy A metal that is comprised of a mixture of at least two different

you have this, see a doctor, as it is very difficult to treat.

types of metals. For instance, 18K gold is only 75% pure gold, but is

Circular barbell Also called a horseshoe ring, this is curved barbell

preferred because pure gold is too soft to be used for most jewelry.

that makes an incomplete circle with a small gap and balls at either

Anaphylactic Shock An extreme allergic reaction, usually to an anti-

end.

biotic given to treat an infection or other disease. In rare cases, if a

Clamp A medical clamp with tong-like ends used to hold either skin

piercing becomes infected and penicillin or some other antibiotic

or other instruments during piercing procedures. It helps stabilize

is given to an individual that is allergic to it, they may suffer the

the area for accurate piercing.

symptoms of anaphylactic shock, which include difficulty breathing,

Claw A curved, tapered piece that comes to a point on one end that

swelling of the face, mouth and tongue, rapid pulse, collapse, and

resembles an animal’s claw and used as a piercing accessory, often

even death. It can be treated with immediate medical attention.

in the lobes. Usually made of glass, metal or bone.

APP The most prominent trade organization for professional body

Conch The shell-shaped area tucked into the center region of the

piercers, the Association of Professional Piercers. This non-profit

ear.

group has very high standards and works on legislation to enforce

Curved barbell A barbell that is slightly curved, but not as much as

health and safety standards in the industry. Their website is www.

a circular. It is usually used for eyebrow or belly button piercings.

safepiercing.org.

Some people call this a bent barbell or bananabell.

Argyria If silver jewelry is used for a piercing, the skin around the

Daith The part of the ear that broadens out slightly extending down

area will often turn black as silver is leached into the wound. This

from the upper curve of the outer ear.

condition is called Argyria, and is one reason why you should never

Emla® A brand name for a product that contains lidocaine, a

use silver jewelry until a piercing is completely healed.

numbing agent that will prevent or reduce pain if applied prior to

Attachments Any type of dangle, add-on or trim that can be

having a piercing done.

attached to a barbell or ring to enhance the look of the primary body

Expander A plug that is slightly wider at one end to be used to

jewelry. Some attachments may be stationary while others may

stretch or enlarge a piercing.

swing or move.

Eyelet A hollow tube or cylinder that is put into a punched or

Autoclave A high temperature, medical sterilization device that uses

stretched piercing.

high pressure steam heat to sterilize all tools and piercing equip-

Fistula A medical term referring to any opening or break in the skin

ment before being used.

that is lined throughout its length with skin. Any time a piercing has

BME The most knowledgeable online ezine to all things related to

fully healed, it has formed a fistula.

body modification, including piercing and tattooing. The focus tends

Gauge A measurement used to indicate the size of a barbell or other

to be on the more extreme side of body modification.

piece of body jewelry. The larger the opening, the smaller the gauge

Barbell Standard piercing jewelry with a rod that goes through the

(traditional pierced earrings are an 18 gauge, a belly button piercing

piercing and a ball at either end to hold the bar in place.

is usually around a 14 gauge, but ear plugs can be larger, up to a 6

Body Modification Refers to any kind of procedure that deliberately

gauge or more).

changes or enhances the body for aesthetic or personal reasons,

Helix The outer ring of cartilage of the ear, often the site of multiple

but especially certain forms of body art such as piercing, stretching,

piercings that are ‘stacked’ along this rim.

scarification and tattooing.

Keloid Scar tissue built up around a piercing, usually thickened and

Calipers A measuring device used to accurately determine where

darkened. Keloids should be treated by a doctor and may have to be

to place piercings on the body and to determine the size and gauge

removed surgically.

of jewelry needed for tongue piercings. It can be used to measure

Labret Either a piercing of the center, lower lip or the jewelry that

distances and thicknesses.

goes there. When referring to the jewelry itself, the labret is a barbell

with a ball or decorative piece on one end and a flattened piece on

than one area of the ear, such as through two different areas of the

the other so that it fits comfortably between the inside of the lip and

ear rim. Also called an industrial piercing.

the lower gum line.

Septum The cartilage structure that divides the two nasal passages

Mastitis A painful inflammation of the breast tissue usually caused

of the nose. A septum piercing usually goes through the fleshy area

by a bacterial infection. It is sometimes caused by a nipple piercing

just below the cartilage at the base of the center of this area.

that has been improperly cared for.

Taper A rod, usually of stainless steel, that is larger at one end than

Migration The movement or shifting of body jewelry away from its

the other and is used to stretch the opening of a piercing. These

original placement. In severe cases, the jewelry may push its way

are available in gauges to match the size you desire to stretch your

right out of the skin. The slower the healing, the faster the migration.

piercing to. You put the smaller end through your piercing and grad-

Belly button rings often migrate, while ear lobe piercings rarely do.

ually ease the taper through until the larger end has stretched the

Nipple Rings Usually straight or curved barbells going through the

opening to the desired gauge.

flesh of the back of the nipple on a man or a woman.

Tongue barbell Similar to a standard piercing barbell, except the ball

Nipple Shields Round or elaborately shaped decorative plates that

at one end is not removable. This is the ball that is on the top of

go around the nipple behind and piercing. It is held in place by the

the tongue and prevents it from being swallowed accidentally. The

nipple ring that goes through it.

bottom ball is fitted on securely underneath the tongue.

Nose Ring A ring for a side nostril piercing that is usually a fine

Tongue Rims Piercings along the outer edge of the tongue, usually

gauge captive bead ring.

done with rings.

Nose Stud A straight or curved bar with only one ball on the outer

Tragus The ridge or cartilage opposite the inner curve of the ear that

end that is to be inserted into a side nostril piercing.

protrudes over the ear canal and is attached to the front side of the

O-Ring A thin, rubber ring that fits snugly on the end of a plug to

face.

keep it in place in your piercing.

Tube or Tunnel Open or hollow plug for a stretched piercing so that

Parking The tendency for some piercings to shift slightly to one side

the opening is held open and you can see through it.

or the other, such as in a navel piercing, because it is more com-

UV Reactive Jewelry Body jewelry that reacts to ultraviolet light by

fortable.

fluorescing. Especially popular for wearing to raves and clubs.

Piercing Gun A spring-loaded device used to shoot a piercing stud through soft tissue for piercing. Usually this is used only to pierce the ear lobes for standard earrings, and should not be used for other body piercings because it is not accurate and cannot be sterilized properly. Members of the Association of Professional Piercers will not use a piercing gun for any type of piercing. Piercing Needle A fine, hollow needle specifically used to pierce a small, clean hole in the flesh to allow jewelry to be passed through. This leaves a smoother, cleaner opening than a piercing gun and reduces the risk of infection. Plug A solid plug made from any number of materials that is placed in a stretched piercing, most commonly in an earlobe. Resorption The dissolving of bone when a piercing has been poorly placed so that it rubs against the bone and causes it to disintegrate over time. A poorly placed labret can cause resorption of bone in the jaw line. Retainer Piercing jewelry made of nylon or acrylic, usually clear, designed to keep a piercing open but be nearly invisible. Often worn when you wish a piercing to go unnoticed (a job interview, etc.). Ring Closing Pliers Pliers made specifically to reduce the gap in body jewelry such as captive bead rings without damaging the jewelry. They come in various sizes to accommodate a wide range of jewelry. Ring Opening Pliers Pliers designed for opening body jewelry like captive bead rings so that the bead can be changed or released without damaging the jewelry. These come in various sizes to accommodate a wide range of jewelry. Rook Piercing of the anti-helix, the cartilage area of the ear directly below the upper curve of the outer ear. Scaffold A piercing of the ear where the barbell goes through more

bibliography PART I THE EARLY HISTORY “Aztec Tribal Piercings—Aztec Nose Rings, Lip Plugs & Ear Spools.” World History, 30 July 2017. LaFave, Charles. “Earlobe Stretching on Easter Island.” Body Art Forms Blog. LaFave, Charles. “The Noble Black Earstring.” Body Art Forms Blog. LaFave, Charles. “Did Pirates Really Have Earrings?” Body Art Forms Blog. MacKendrick, Karmen. “Body Piercing.” Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, Encyclopedia.com, 2018. Wilson, Mark. “The History and Culture of Stretched Ears.” Ezine Articles, 2011.

PART IV THE NOSE PIERCE “Kuna - Religion and Expressive Culture.” Countries and Their Cultures. Gilberthorpe, Emma. “New Guinea’s Indigenous Tribes Are Alive and Well—Don’t Call Them ‘Ancient’.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 20 Apr. 2017. LaFave, Charles. “The Stretched Nostrils of the Apatani Women.” Body Art Forms Blog. “Nose Piercing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2018. “Papua New Guinea Kalam Tribe from Simbai ∞ ANYWAYINAWAY.” Anywayinaway. Sandro. “Striking Photos of the Past and Present of Papua New Guinea.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Mar.

PART II THE EAR PIERCE

2018. Tice, Karen. “Kuna.” Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Encyclopedia.

Arruda, Rinaldo SV. “Enciclopédia Dos Povos Indígenas No Brasil -

com, 2018.

Instituto Socioambiental,” Rikbaktsa. “BorneoMaps.com.” BORNEO MAP | the Latest News about Borneo,

PART V THE ENTIRE FACE

13 May 2017 LaFave, Charles. “The Conch Jewelry of the Kanphata Yogis.” Body Art Forms Blog. Lorna. “Modification Around the World: Ear Piercing in Orissa.” BodyCandy.

“Culture and Identity: Yanomami.” Woratee, 9 Dec. 2013. “Matis.” Facial Ornaments > Matis. “Yanomami.” Yanomami - Survival International, “Yanomami.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2018.

Neva. “Tribe: The Unusual Mursi of Ethiopia.” AFRiTORIAL. Pandya, Trupal. “The Last Living Head Hunters.” Behance, 2016.

PART VI THE NAVEL PIERCE

“Stretching (Body Piercing).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Mar. 2018 Weber, James. “The Curated Ear.” Infinite Body Piercing, Inc., Infinite Body Piercing, Inc., 10 Jan. 2018. Wilson, Mark Z. “History of Ear Gauging in Tribal Civilizations.”

“Body Piercing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Apr. 2018. Dent, Alexis. “Belly-Button Rings: Where Are They Now?” Racked, Racked, 16 Feb. 2017. “Navel Piercing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Mar. 2018.

Diversa Energy Solutions. PART VII THE NIPPLE PIERCE PART III THE LIP PIERCE Arnold, Amanda. “The Titillating Rise of Nipple Piercings.” Broadly, “Labret and Lip Piercing Styles, Standards, and Modern History.” BodyCandy. “Lip-Plates.” Mursi Online, 16 Apr. 2017. “Kara Tribe.” The Karo or Kara Tribe Live on the Banks of the Omo River. “Kayapos.” Countries and Their Cultures. “Zo’é.” Zo’é - Survival International.

6 Oct. 2016,

IMAGE CREDITS 1.1 The Gayer Anderson Cat. 1.2 Picture of King Tut’s golden funerary mask. Kenneth Garrett, National Geographic Creative. 1.3 Kore bust of Kore. 1.4 Torso of a Dancing Faun, 1st century, Graeco-Roman, Marble. 1.5 Codex Magliabechiano, mid-16th century. 1.6 Codex Zouche-Nuttall, 14th-15th Centuries AD, British Museum, London, animal skin. 1.7 Aztec stone carving of The Legend of the Fifth Sun. 1.8 Artist unknown, Homme de L’isle de Paques. 1.9 Artist unknown, Femme de L’isle de Paques. 1.10 Long Ear Moai by Darcie Goldberg, Ranu Raraku, Easter Island, June 2011. 1.11 Painting: Cornelis Johnson (attributed to), Queen Anne of Denmark. Photo: Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. 1.12 Chandos Portrait, John Taylor, 1600s, National Portrait Gallery, London. 1.13 Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, Met Museum, Elizabethan cabinet door (1510-20). 1.14 Portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh, 1588. 2.1 Unknown. 2.2 Body Electric Tattoo, California, 2016. 2.3 Tara Gonzalez, The Covateur. 2.4 Astley Clark. 2.5 Refinery29, Ben Tauber. 2.6 Unknown. 2.7 Raisa Mirza, Mursi Tribe, 2016. 2.8 Portrait of Nachera, Mursi Tribe, Minisha Village, Omo Valley, Ethiopia, Ben Pipe. 2.9 Portrait of Arbile, Mursi Tribe, Minisha Village, Omo Valley, Ethiopia, Ben Pipe. 2.10 Unknown. 2.11 Getty Images, 2010, Serengeti, Tanzania. 2.12 Stephania Maggioni. 2.13 Adam Kozioł. 2.14 Adam Kozioł. 2.15 Adam Kozioł. 2.16 Matt Hahnewald, 2017. 2.17 Matt Hahnewald, 2017. 2.18 Unknown. 2.19 Dayak Woman, J Jongejans, 1919, Apo Kajan, Borneo. 2.20 Unknown. 2.21 Steven Goethals. 2.22 Agencia Brasil. 2.23 Unknown. 3.1 Neil Marriott, Photodisc, Getty Images. 3.2 Dorje Adornments. 3.3 Louisa Seton, IMP Features. 3.4 Abraham Joffe, Diimex. 3.5 Adam Kozioł. 3.6 Adam Kozioł. 3.7 Eric Lafforgue. 3.8 Vlad Karavaev. 3.9 Vlad Karavaev. 3.10 National Geographic Creative. 3.11 Amazonia: Last Call. 4.1 KSVHS Jewellery. 4.2 Unknown. 4.3 Jeff Bauche. 4.4 Jeff Bauche. 4.5 Unknown. 4.6 Thomas Lohr, 2014, Vogue Allemagne. 4.7 George Harvey. 4.8 J. Colby Smith. 4.9 Unknown. 4.10 Jimmy Nelson. 4.12 Jimmy Nelson. 4.13 Jimmy Nelson. 4.14 AFP, Getty Images. 4.15 AFP, Getty Images. 4.16 AFP, Getty Images. 4.17 Unknown. 4.18 Unknown. 4.19 Matt Payne. 4.20 Matt Payne. 4.21 Linn Bergbrandt 5.1 Art Wolfe. 5.2 National Geographic Creative. 5.3 Scott Wallace. 6.1 Unknown. 7.1 Unknown. 7.2 Unknown. 7.3 Unknown.

This book is set in Roboto, designed in 2011 by Christian Robertson of Google. This book was designed, edited, written, and obsessed over by Devon Litteral in St. Louis, Missouri. BFA Capstone Project Washington University in St. Louis 2018

Believe it or not, some of us have piercings and tattoos and dye our hair because we think it looks pretty, not for any deep sociological reason. This isn't an act of protest against cultural or social repression. It's not a grand, deliberately defiant gesture against capitalists or feminists or any other social group. It's not even the fashion equivalent to sticking two fingers up at the world. The boring truth of it is that I don't dress like this to hurt my parents or draw attention to myself or make a statement. I just do it because I think it looks nice. Disappointed? Alex Bell, The Ninth Circle