One of Tribalectic's community member-writers, Janid Ortiz, joins us again this issue to write about the larger scope and more overarching societal manifestations of body piercing. Janid offers artistic and anthropological insight into some piercing practices in ancient cultures, and also discuses how piercing in our mainstream, consumerist societies have changed, but stayed the same all at the same time.
If we could experience time travel and visit the ancient civilizations and empires that conveyed their spiritual, social and religious beliefs through body piercing, several people would think they are not as appealing as Brittney Spears' cute little pierced navel --Give me a break--. Yet we wouldn't have to travel in time to experience and explore different cultures and their piercing practices. All we would have to do is hop on a plane today (if we weren't so scared of flying anymore) and fly to Africa or South America and take a close look at the immense amount of groups whose piercings are as sacred as your cocky neighbor's $1,800 porcelain vase.
For the narrow minded and ignorant, body piercing is limited to teenagers in NY City and LA and a freak or two somewhere else in the Planet. However, it is something that can be seen around the world in men, women and children. In order to fully understand the concept of body piercing, one must study and respect the history behind it, rather than criticize it and draw negative conclusions.
Evidence of body piercing goes back as far as 4000 years! The University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archeology and Anthropology displays a 4000 year-old clay figurine from Iran with multiple-pierced ears as well as earplugs carved from obsidian (a volcanic glass). These earplugs came from Guatemala and they date back to 1500 A.D. So, does this mean these people were crazy, freaky and they just wanted to be cool and different? That is very far from the truth.
Let's move up in time a bit. Soldiers in Caesar's army wore nipple rings to emphasize masculinity and status. Women in the 14th century pierced their nipples to show how elastic and youthful their breasts were. Prince Albert himself popularized piercing the male genitalia. High-class men would hook the penis to the back of the leg in order to prevent "accidents" and to keep a smooth look in those tight-ass pants. For some, this may be a hard fact to swallow. But it's history and it's true.
It is also true that piercings can be temporary. Many civilizations have historically used temporary piercings for Religious festivals, ceremonies and special rituals, like those of the Maya of Mexico and Central America, in which the tongue was temporarily pierced to commune with the spirits of their ancestors. Temporary piercings were and are currently practiced to purify the body, display proof of power and they have also been employed as a medium for performance art. Unfortunately, some people in today's society have different reasons to get temporary piercings. In this category, we can include the geek who wants to go to a Rave on Saturday night and wants to look trendy and stand out from he crowd. So he goes through the pain of piercing his eyebrow only to remove it after the party is over because either his parents don't approve or his school believes piercing increases the risk of damaging nerves that connect to the brain, therefore making students less receptive to learning and grasping information. Haven't you noticed how there's always a scientific explanation for everything? Maybe the school system isn't receptive enough to our ever-changing world? Parents are another story.
Every individual has the right to choose if they will get pierced for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Those of us who chose to go to the grave with our piercings would fall in the "Permanent Piercings" category. Permanent piercings are the most recognized form of body piercing and they also carry the most significance. In specific cultures, permanent piercings can be executed for several reasons ranging from sexual enhancement to marking the change from childhood to adulthood. For this transformation, many groups in Africa, India, South America, Indonesia, New Guinea and the Pacific pierce the nostril, lip and septum as part of their rituals.
Some of the most popular piercings performed in the civilized world hold various meanings within the uncivilized world. Like the ear piercing: It is the most widely practiced piercing among certain groups in Africa, India, Indonesia, North and South America. Earlobe piercing can mark the life stages of a person. Ear cartilage piercing among the Masai in Kenya/Africa and Fulani tribes (Nigeria/Africa) emphasizes beauty and wealth and it can symbolize maturity or the growth of a woman among groups in South America and Indonesia.
Other groups have used piercing as a hunting aid. Some Alaskan cultures used to pierce their cheeks and wear special labrets to imitate the appearance of seals while hunting for these mammals. The Nunivak Indians in Alaska also wore labrets resembling the whale's tail. Some groups in South America wear 5 or more nostril piercings with thin protruding whiskers on each side, septum and upper labrets with sticks imitating the jaguar, thus making themselves better hunters. In the 21st century, we've seen men and women who get pierced so they can improve their hunting skills when looking for species of the opposite or same sex. While we see how some cultures utilize piercing to blend in with other animals, others modify their bodies to set themselves apart from animals. The cold and ironic reality is that in our society, there are individuals who have the nerve to classify pierced human beings as animals.
The same way animals have evolved; piercing is evolving too. The reasons for getting pierced are changing. The piercings themselves are changing too. The Eyebrow, Madison, Navel and female genital piercings among others, are unique to modern Western societies. We have created unique ways to convey and express our thoughts and beliefs. Yet we're also creating a revolution. Piercing is being utilized almost as a weapon. As a mean to intimidate, provoke and stir emotions among people in our World. For a lot of teenagers, it has become a challenge to come up with another spot they can put a hole in so they can rebel against a society who cannot handle the disturbing shock of self-expression.
Is body piercing slowly becoming a fad or a fashion statement? Is piercing the navel becoming nothing but the equivalent of getting silicone implants? We are seeing a tendency for piercing to be performed for cosmetic reasons rather than it's original spiritual, religious and cultural purposes. Not that everyone has to have a spiritual reason behind a piercing, but if you decide to modify your body and let it work wonders to accept the piercing as a part of it, you should at least be aware and conscious of what you have put your body through and why.
A piercing is a self-inflicted wound. Whether we go through it for pleasure or pain, overcoming fear of pain, adornment, play, enhancement or whatever reason... We choose to modify our body and we choose when and how we want to do it. We are born naked. Our body comes into this world as a blank canvas and it can serve as a means to permanently document all the experiences, phases, stages and changes that slowly sculpt us into who we are. The color and complexity of our canvas is what makes us unique individuals. Besides, if everyone looked, acted and thought the same, wouldn't this be an extremely boring world??
We have come a long way and it was about time we let the world know we are not afraid of this society. We are no longer repressed human beings who bottle up all thoughts and feelings. We fight for what we believe in and we stand up for it. We don't care what everyone else thinks. No one can make us or break us. We are no longer individuals who try to fit into a mold. We are no longer the standard.
All evidence shows that body piercing has been around for centuries and it will not disappear anytime soon. Our society will have to continue to educate itself and accept that body piercing is a part of our culture regardless of its evolution…or revolution.
