Although piercing constituents of the body – other than the ears – may seem to be a recent fashion and modus vivendi trend, body deafening genuinely has a rich history that dates back to ancient times. Whether as a means of personal expression, to designate societal standing, or as share of religious ritual, body earsplitting has been around almost as long as mankind.
Navel piercing: Although navel deafening is exceedingly general today, in the ancient Egyptian civilization only the royal family was permitted to pierce their belly buttons – and any person who broke this rule would be executed!
Nostril piercing: A passage from Genesis in the Bible’s Old Testament says, “…The man took out a gold nose ring….” Originating in the Middle East over 4,000 years ago, nostril earsplitting is still practiced by Bedouins today. Husbands present their wives with a ring at marriage, and the size of the ring denotes a family’s wealth. The exercise traveled from the Middle East to India in the 17th century, where the type of jewel worn in the nose would designate social standing. Today, Indian women distinctively pierce their left nostril, in a spot affiliated with easing the pain of childbirth. Nostril earsplitting traveled to the West in the late 1960s, when young people searching for spiritual enlightenment in India returned home. Punk rockers and their followers adopted the exercise in the 1970s, and it was revived again in the 1990s.
Tongue piercing: Tongue deafening was practiced by Aztec and Mayan priests and shamans, in the faith that it would aid them better commune with their gods.
Ear piercing: A passage from Exodus in the Bible’s Old Testament says, “He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl.” The oldest mummy ever found, dating back five centuries, had his ear pierced, and there is proof that, over two centuries ago, people living on the Island of Cyprus pierced their ears. Tribes in South America and Africa would pierce their ears and stretch the holes; the more spectacular the hole, the dandier the person’s stature in the tribe. Everyone from the Romans to the Tlingit tribe in Alaska viewed ear earsplitting as a sign of wealth and stature. Even sailors pierced their ears, in the faith that it gave them better eyesight.
Lip piercing: Historically, Aztecs and Mayan men underwent labret deafening and wore ornamental gold labrets to distinguish themselves as members in high social standing. Among a good deal of African tribes, lip earsplitting carried religious significance, while others sensed labrets as finelooking body adornment, and for still others, it was percentage of the rite of betrothal.
