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PIERCING HISTORY
NOSE PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
Nose piercing is very attractive, and can accentuate the face, because
the nose is the face's most prominent feature; Leonardo Da Vinci believed
that the nose set the character of the whole face.
Nose piercing was first recorded in the Middle East
aproximately 4,000 years ago, it is mentioned in The
Bible in Genesis 24:22 Abraham requested his oldest
servant to find a wife for his son Isaac, the servant
found Rebekah, and one of the gifts he gave her was
a "golden earring" the original
Hebrew word used was Shanf, which also translates as "nose-ring".
This practice is still followed among the nomadic Berber and Beja tribes
of Africa, and the Bedouins of the Middle East, the size of the ring denotes
the wealth of the family. It is given by the husband to his wife at the
marriage, and is her security if she is divorced.
Nose piercing was bought to India in the 16th Century from the Middle East
by the Moghul emperors. In India a stud (Phul) or a ring (Nath) is usually
worn in the left nostril, It is sometimes joined to the ear by a chain,
and in some places both nostrils are pierced. The left side is the most
common to be pierced in India, because that is the spot associated in Ayuvedra
(Indian medicine) with the female reproductive organs, the piercing is
supposed to make childbirth easier and lessen period pain.
In the west nose piercing first appeared among the hippies who travelled
to India in the Late 1960's. It was later adopted by the Punk movement
of the late 1970's as a symbol of rebellion against conservative values,
and conservative people like parents and employers still don't react well
to it, so consider their reaction carefully before getting it done.
Nowadays nose piercing is gradually becoming more socially
acceptable, and many celebrities have their nose pierced
i.e. Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Sinead O'Connor, and Slash
from Guns & Roses.
TONGUE PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
Tongue piercing was practised in a ritual form by the ancient Aztecs, Mayas
of Central America and the Haida, Kwakiutul, and Tlinglit tribes of the
American Northwest. The tongue was pierced to draw blood to propitiate
the gods, and to create an altered state of consciousness so that the priest
or shaman could communicate with the gods.
Tongue piercing is one of the most popular piercings, it's shocking, provocative
and fantastic for oral sex (for both sexes), but at the same time no one
need know you have it. Janet Jackson, Keith Flint from Prodigy, Mel B from
the Spice Girls and Malcolm Jamahl Warner from the Cosby show all sport
pierced tongues.
EAR LOBE PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
The ear-lobe was probably man's first attempt at body piercing due to the
ease with which it can be pierced. The oldest mummified body in the world
was found frozen in an Austrian Glacier in 1991, tests showed the body
to be over 5,000 years old. The body had pierced ears and the holes had
been enlarged to 7-11mm diameter.
Ears were probably first pierced for magical purposes, very many primitive
tribes believe that demons can enter the body through the ear, because
demons and spirits are supposed to be repelled by metal, ear-piercing prevents
them entering the body. Sailors used to have an ear pierced to improve
eyesight, and if the bodies washed up somewhere it would pay for a christian
burial. In many societies ear piercing is done as a puberty ritual, in
Borneo the Mother and Father each pierce one ear as a symbol of the child's
dependance on their parents.
Ear piercing is an almost universal practice for men and women, it's only
in western society that it's deemed effeminate. At various times in history
men wore elaborate earrings; during the Elizabethan era many famous men
such as Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raliegh and Francis Drake wore gold rings
in their ears.
"As the Roman Republic grew more effeminate with wealth and luxury, earrings
were more popular among men than women; no less a he-man than Julius Caesar brought
back to repute and fashion the use of rings in the ears of men."
"Jewels & Women; The Romance, Magic and Art of Feminine Adornment" Marianne Ostier,
Horizon Press, New York, 1958
LIP LABRET PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
The piercing of the lips for the insertion of objects
into them is very widely practised throughout the world,
however only two tribes pierce the lips with a ring;
the Dogon tribe Of Mali, and the Nuba of Ethiopia.
Among the Dogon the piercing of the lip has religious
signifigance, they believe that the world was created
by their ancestor spirit "Noomi" weaving thread
through her teeth, but instead of thread out came speech. All the other
lip piercing that is practised in the world is done with labrets, which
can either be a pin of wood, ivory, metal, or even in one case quartz crystals.
Among the tribes of Central Africa, and South America the Labret piercing
is stretched to extremely large proportions, and large wooden or clay plates
are inserted.
Among the ancient Aztecs and Mayans labret piercing
was reserved for male members of the higher castes,
they wore beautiful labrets fashioned from pure gold
in the shape of serpents, golden labrets with stones
inset and ones of jade or obsidion (labret in Aztec "Tentetl").
The Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, and
the Inuit peoples of northern Canada and Alaska wore
labrets fahioned from walrus ivory, abalone shell,
bone, obsidian, and wood.
The Makololo tribe of Malawi wear lip plates in the
upper lip called Pelele. The African explorer Dr. Livingstone
asked a chief the reason for this, in surprise the
chief answered "For beauty! They are the only beautiful
things women have. Men have beards, women have none. What kind of person
would she be without Pelele ? She would not be a woman at all."
"The plug of wood in the lips, which became little by little a disk, and then
a real plaque, was in some manner a sign of possession of the husband of the
Djinja woman. It is the man who is to marry her, and very often him alone who
operates, transfixing the lips of the young girl with a blade of straw forms
the first sign of the deformation to which she will be subject as an adult. It
is in sum, a betrothal rite."
Dr. Muraz reffering to the Saras-Djinjas tribe, who
insert lip plates up to 24cm in diameter in both lips.
Chari River South of Lake Chad in "Nudity
to Raiment" Hilaire Hiler London 1929.
SEPTUM PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
The piercing of the septum is probably the second most common piercing
among primitive peoples after ear piercing, it's even more common than
nostril piercing. It's probably so popular for the same reasons as nose
piercing, with the added attraction that the piercing can be stretched
and large pieces of jewellery can be inserted, i.e. pig's tusks, pieces
of bone, feathers, pieces of wood, etc.
The septum piercing is particularly prevalent among
warrior cultures, this probably has to do with the
fact that large tusks through the septum give the face
a fierce appearance. The use of septum tusks is very
prevalent in Irian Jaya, New Guinea and the Solomon
Islands, pig's tusks being the most popular. Among
the Asmat tribe of Irian Jaya the most prestigous septum
tusk is the "Otsj" this is a large bone plug, which can be as thick as
25mm. They are usually made of the leg bones of a pig, but occasionally
they are made from the Tibia bone of an enemy slain in battle.
The Septum piercing was beloved by the Aztecs, the Mayans, and the Incas.
They wore a variety of jewellery, but jade and gold were the most popular
because of their religous associations. The modern day Cuna Indians of
Panama continue this practice by wearing thick pure gold rings in their
septum.
The piercing is also popular in India, Nepal, and Tibet,
a pendant "Bulak" is
worn, and some examples are so large as to prevent the person being able
to eat, the jewellery has to be lifted up during meals. In Rajasthan in
Himachal Pradesh these Bulak are particularly elaborate, and extremely
large.
Septum piercing was widely practised by many North American Indian tribes,
the name of the Nez Perc, tribe of Washington state, stem from their practice
of piercing the septum, Nez Perc, is French for Nose Pierced, and was given
to the tribe by the French fur traders. Australian aboriginals pierced
the septum and passed a long stick or bone through the piercing to flatten
the nose, they believed a flat nose to be the most desireable.
Among the Bundi tribe of the Bismarck Ranges of Papua New Guinea the piercing
is performed using the thin end of the Sweet Potato plant (Ogai Iriva),
usually at age 18-22. The age at which the piercing is done varies greatly
between different tribes, some tribes perform the rite at age 9-10.
"You were lost in the bush and now you have come back. You have come back mature;
you are men. When you return to your hamlet many girls will come after you. But
if you have lived well, and if they come after you, all the well. You will now
have your noses pierced to allow you to sing with girls and lead a life like
that of your elders. Your (Kangi Poroi) caused you to go to all this trouble,
now it will be over."
Source: Address by tribal elder to young men undergoing
the (Kangi Poroi) manhood ritual. Source: Field notes
of David G. Fitzpatrick 1977 in "Bundi,
the culture of Papua New Guinea people" Ryebuck Publications, Nerang Queensland
Australia 1983
NAVEL PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
Navel piercing is a modern invention and has never been recorded in primitive
cultures; however the navel has long been recognised as an erogenous zone,
because of the difference between men's and women's stomachs. Women's stomachs
differ from men's in that they are more rounded in the lower part, are
longer than men's, have a greater distance between the navel and genitals,
and are more deeply recessed than men's; these features are often exaggerated
by artists to make women appear more feminine in paintings.
The invention of the Bikini in 1953 caused a big stir because the navel
was seen as being sexually provocative because of it's similarity to the
female genitals. The Bikini revolutionised women's lives, along with the
liberation of their clothes their lives in general became more liberated.
The process was completed when Madonna started the craze for showing of
the midriff in the 1980's. The ability to flaunt their sexuality in public
gave women more power and confidence in themselves.
"It is easy to pinpoint the moment when body piercing went mainstream. Christy
Turlinton came out at a London Fashion show, and in the middle of her navel was
a ring! The next day Naomi Campbell showed the world that anything Christy could
do, so could she. A gold ring with a small pearl pierced her navel. And then
at Isaac Mizrahi's show the two came out together, navels bared and beringed:
body piercing as a Supermodel totem" Suzy Menkes The New York Times September
1994
"I have the most perfect belly button - an inny. When I stick my finger in my
belly button, I feel a nerve in the centre of my body shoot up my spine" Madonna
Time Magazine 1985
"I like it, I think it's fun!" Naomi Campbell. "I always thought it was a pretty
feminine thing to do - and you can always take it out" Christy Turlington.
Shortly after Naomi and Christy had their navels pierced no one was surprised
when Madonna, Cher and Janet Jackson were seen wearing navel rings. Now
anybody can joins the ranks of Celebrities and Supermodels by having their
navel pierced.
NIPPLE PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
Roman Centurions wore leather armour breast plates which were shaped to
fit the body and rings were sometimes placed in these breastplates where
the nipples appeared to be, the rings were used to hang a cape from. This
has led to the belief by some people that the actual nipples were pierced
to hang a cape from, but anybody who has had their nipples pierced would
tell you that this would be a very uncomfortable practice.
"In the middle of the 14th century...Many women suddenly wore 'such low necklines
that you could see nearly half their breasts', and among the upper classes in
the same century, Queen Isabella of Bavaria introduced the 'Garments of the grand
neckline', where the dress was open to the navel. This fashion eventually led
to the application of rouge to freely displayed nipples, those 'little apples
of paradise' and to placing diamond studded rings or small caps on them, even
to piercing them and passing gold chains through them decorated with diamonds" "Dreamtime" Hans
Peter Duerr
In the late 1890s the 'Bosom Ring', came into fashion
briefly, and sold in expensive Parisian jewellery shops.
These 'Anneux De Sein' were inserted through the nipple,
and some women wore on either side linked with a delicate
chain. The rings enlarged the nipples and kept them in a state of constant
excitation...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." "Anatomy & Destiny" Stephen Kern
"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
Nipple piercing was once practised by the Karankawa
indians of Texas adn is still practised in the Mountains
of Algeria, by women of the nomadic Kabyle tribe. In
the west nipple piercing has made a resurgence, with
many famous people having their nipples pierced ie.
Lenny Kravitz, Jaye Davidson (The Crying Game), Gerry
Connelly (Comedian), Tommy Lee (Drummer Motley Crue-
Husband of Pamela Stephenson Baywatch) and Axl Rose
(Guns & Roses).
BENEFITS
The benefits of having your nipple pierced are the
same today as they were for the fashionable ladies
of Paris and London in the 1890s. It makes the nipples
larger, more sensitive, more sexually attractive, and
provides a constant stimulation of the nipples, one
friend of mine describes his nipple piercing as "a lightswitch for an erection".
Nipple piercing is very effective for increasing the
size of small nipples (especially men's), and can stop
nipples from becoming inverted by pulling them out.
In fact, it was recommended by doctors in Victorian
England to increase the size of the nipples to make
breastfeeding easier. It provides greater sexual pleasure
because it gives your partner something to play with
during sex.
CLITORIS HOOD PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
The word Kleitoris was used over 2,500 thousand years
ago by the ancient Greeks to describe a part of the
female genitals, most probably the Labia Minora or
Inner lips of the Vagina. In 1593 at the trial of a
woman accused of witchcraft, the inquisitor (a married
man) discovered a Clitoris for the first time. When
he saw this "little lump of flesh sticking out to
the length of half an inch" he decided that it must be the "Devil's Teat".
The other inquisitors, likewise astounded, agreed and on this fact the
woman was convicted and executed for witchcraft. The word "Clitoris" first
appeared in the English language in 1615, it was used in an early anatomy
book to describe a small, sensitive organ located underneath the upper
apex of the Labia Minora.
PRINCE ALBERT PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
The Prince Albert piercing is named after Prince Albert
who was the husband of Queen Victoria of England. He
was reputeded to have had this piercing done prior
to his marriage to the queen around 1825, at that time
Beau Brummel started the craze for ultra tight mens
trousers. Because the pants were so tight, the penis
needed to be held to one side or the other so as not
to create an unsightly bulge. To accomplish this some
men had their penis pierced to allow it to be held
by a hook on the inside of the trousers, this piercing
was called a "Dressing Ring" at the time because tailors
would ask if a gentleman dressed to the left or the right and tailor the
trousers accordingly, tailors to this day will ask if you dress to the
left or right.
SEXUAL EFFECTIVENESS
The Prince Albert Piercing is very effective for sex, that is why it is
the most popular male genital piercing. It provides greater stimulation
to both partners during sex, and it has the added allure of being being
somewhat kinky, people always have to wonder what it would be like to have
sex with someone with a genital piercing. On top of all that it makes the
penis more aesthetically attractive, in the same way as jewellery worn
on the fingers.
FRAENULUM PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
The piercing of the Fraenulum is probably the second-most
popular male genital piercing, it is usually incorrectly
referred to as a "Frenum" piercing
but this an abbreviated version of the true word Fraenulum . The Fraenulum
is the small ridge of flesh joining the foreskin to the Glans of the penis,
in most cases circumcision removes or destroys it, however in rare cases
it still exists after circumcision. I can only find one account of it occurring
amongst tribal people.
"Amongst the Timorese of Indonesia, the Frenulum beneath the glans penis is pierced
with brass rings, the function of the ring is to enhance stimulation during sex."
Die kunstlichen Verunstaltungen des Korpers bei den Batta. Zeitschrift
fur Ethnologie 16:217-225 1884.
FORESKIN PIERCING HISTORY
(INFIBULATION) ^TOP^
The practice of piercing of the foreskin for the insertion
of jewellery is as old as circumcision, and is of immemorial
antiquity, going back far beyond the earliest recorded
history. During the games of Ancient Greece, the athletes
performed nude, and to prevent their penises moving
about they bound the foreskin with a ribbon and tied
it to the base of the penis. This ribbon. or leather
thong was called the "Kynodesme" from the Greek "Kuon" foreskin,
and "Desmos" fastening band. This temporary practice probably led to the
permanent piercing of the foreskin, either to prevent slaves and athletes
from having sex, or to prevent them from having erections. The Roman's
used a practice called Infibulation, it involved two piercings going through
the foreskin (or Labia in women) and a lock (Fibula) being placed therein.
The Roman historian Mensius declares that Infibulation
may be traced back to the time of the siege of Troy
(12th Century BC) for he points out that according
to "The Odyssey" (Bk. VIII, Line 477) Agamemnon departed
for the Trojan War, and left his wife Clytemnestra,
in the care of the singer Demodecus, seeing that he
had been infibulated.
The prevalence of the practice is attested to by the
number of references to it, to be found in ancient
writings. The roman writers Juvenal, Martial, Strabo,
Fallopio, and Hieronymus Mercurialis all make mention
of the practice. The piercing process is described
in detail by the famous 1st Century Roman physician
Celsus, in his treatise on medicine "De Medecina"
PALANG & APADRAVYA PIERCING
HISTORY ^TOP^
The piercing of the Glans of the Penis for the insertion
of jewellery is a very ancient practice, the Apadravya
piercing is mentioned in the Kama Sutra (700AD) and
the Palang piercing has been practised in SE Asia for
several hundred years. Several genital piercings originate in Asia where
piercing has been practised since antiquity, the following quote, from "The
Kama Sutra" describes the process for the piercing of an Apadravya, or
a vertical barbell through the glans of the Penis.
"The people of the southern countries think that true sexual pleasure cannot
be obtained without perforating the Lingam, and they therefore cause it to be
pierced like the lobes of the ears of an infant pierced for earrings."
The Palang (often incorrectly called Ampallang) is
a piercing that occurred among the Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit,
Dayak, and Iban tribes of Sarawak on the Island of
Borneo. It involves piercing the Glans of the Penis
horizontally, and the insertion of a barbell. The term "Palang" translates as "Crossbar" in
Iban and can be related to the timber roof supports of the longhouses of
the tribes of the area, and symbolises the protective power of the male
over the family.
"the operation is performed only on adults. The skin is forced back, the penis
is placed between two small planks of bamboo and for ten days and it is covered
with rags dipped in cold water. Then the glans is perforated with a sharp bamboo
needle; a feather dipped in oil, is placed in the wound until it heals. Wet compresses
are used all the while. When the Dayaks travel and work they carry a feather
in this canal. As soon as they grow desirous, they pull the feather out and replace
it with the ampallang. The ampallang is a little rod of copper, silver or gold,
four centimetres long and two millimetres thick. At one end of this rod is a
round ball or pear-formed object made of metal; at the other end a second ball
is placed as soon as the ampallang is affixed. The whole apparatus is, when ready,
five centimetres long and five millimetres thick.... Von Graffin has seen one
Dayak who had two ampallangs, one behind the other! The perforation was always
horizontal and above the urethra.... The women of the Dayaks say the embrace
without this ornament is like rice, but with it, it tastes like rice with salt.
Mantegazza, Sexual Relations of Mankind
"The function of this device is, superficially, is to add to the sexual pleasure
of the women by stimulating and extending the inner walls of the vagina. It is,
in this, in my experience decidedly successful." Tom Harrisson, The Sarawak Museum
Journal Vol VII, December 1956.
GUICHE (geesh) PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
The word "Guiche" is supposed to mean an opening in French, the actual
translation is "window". This piercing is supposed to be a Samoan puberty
ritual, but Derek Freeman Professor Emeritus of the Anthropology Department
of The Australian National University, one of the world"s foremost authorities
on Samoa informed me that he had no experience of this practice in Samoa.
The puberty ritual practised in Samoa is subincision, this is where the
underneath of the foreskin is cut down to the fraenulum. Professor Freeman
stated that this practice has never existed in Samoa, and if it had in
the past he would have been aware of it.
Doug Malloy Travelled to Tahiti just before WW2, where he met an Australian
sailor who had jumped ship named Reggie Jones. Reggie told Doug about the
piercing, and performed the piercing for him.
Doug Malloy said that this piercing originated in Tahiti,
the piercing was done at age 12-14 and a leather thong
inserted into the piercing, a small weight either a
rock or a shell was hung from the thong once the piercing
was healed. The procedure was performed by a "Mahu",
in Tahiti a Mahu is a transvestite male who has taken
on the role of a women, they are highly respected members
of society, and they were said to possess magical powers
by adherants of the ancient Tahitian religion. However,
again I can find no evidence of this practice in any literature about Tahiti.
The ancient Polynesian mariners used to judge their direction by the movement
of the waves, the best way to do this was to squat down and feel this movement
through the swinging of the testicles. The Raphe Perineum where the Guiche
piercing is done is the site of a large amount of nerves, and having a
weight hanging from the piercing could possibly have helped the ancient
mariners derive their direction, but this is only speculation on my part.
HAFADA (SCROTUM) PIERCING HISTORY ^TOP^
The Hafada piercing is a scrotum piercing on the side of the scrotum, where
there is a crease. It is supposed to have originated in Arabia and spread
through Northern Africa and the Middle East. The piercing is carried out
as a puberty ritual, it is generally done on the left hand side. The piercing
was supposedly bought back to Europe by French Foriegn Legionares when
they were stationed in what is now Lebanon and Syria.
Scrotum piercings aren't practised by any primitive tribes, at least I
can't find any evidence of such practices, it's really a modern western
invention. Some people have an incredible number of piercings through their
scrotum, Sailor Sid one of the early piercers had 120 scrotum piercings
at the time of his death, and he planned to have more.
©Cheyenne Morrison, The Piercing Temple, Australia 98. |
