Body Modification and Constraints to Those Who Pursue It.
Throughout history people have practiced body modification for many purposes. Body modification includes the practices of piercing, tattooing, and scarring certain parts of the body. There are detailed practices that also arise from body modification, such as stretching or suspension.
Body modification, though now gaining current popularity, is nothing new. It can be traced back to at least the 9th century B.C.E. from a stone artifact containing the picture of an Iraqi man with a pierced ear. There are artifacts ranging from the 4th century B.C.E. to around 1500 A.D. showing depictions of multiple ear piercing and lobe stretching. Lip and labret (the area of skin between the lip and the chin) piercing can be traced back to the Eskimo of Alaska around 1800 A.D. and can be found in cultures today. The piercing of the nose can be traced back around the same period as well.
Ancient cultures used to participate in tattooing as well. The Maori tribe used tattooing (called moko by the Maori) on both men and women for many purposes. Moko could be used to define marital or social status, importance, a rite of passage into manhood, or as a scare tactic for an enemy in battle. The Samoans also used tattooing as a rite of passage into manhood. The Mehinaku used tattooing, piercing, and scarification to identify manhood, class, experience, loss, and so on. The Kayapo of the amazon used tattooing, piercing of the ears, lips, and noses to distinguish the same types of social factors, and was also used for purposes such as showing that females were ready for childbirth. The Kayapo also used coloring of the hair and different hair styles to distinguish age classes and to attract potential similar mates. .
These four cultures all share a similar trait. There are tales of the white man coming to battle them, and as Western Civilization grew, these practices were either wiped out completely or died down in terms of use.