THE HISTORY OF LIP LABRET PIERCING

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

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

The Most Common Type of Ear Piercings

For many, an ear piercing is the gateway to other piercings. The ear piercing also happens to be one of the most common forms of body modification in the United States. While some many not take it as far, there are those who have actually pioneered new styles of ear piercings. Today, there are 10 common types of ear piercings.

Helix Piercings

The helix piercing is the second most common type of ear piercing. It is located on the upper cartilage of the ear. This type of piercing can be done with either a stud, a hoop or a cuff style of piercing. The healing time for this piercing is lengthy at 6 to 8 months and any early removal can lead to premature closure of the piercing.

Industrial Ear Piercings

The industrial ear piercing is quickly growing in popularity. It features a bar that goes through two holes in the upper cartilage of the ear. Unfortunately, this piercing takes an extremely long time to heal: up to twelve months. Any removal, poking or prodding can lead to serious infections.

Dermal Punches

The dermal punch is generally more popular with men than with women. This piercing actually punches out a piece of the ear from the piercing. They can be located on either the lobe or the cartilage in the flat area of the ear. They can be stretched to fit larger gauge piercings, but cartilage is more difficult to ‘stretch’ than a lobe dermal punch. Healing time varies based on the location of the piercing itself.

Rook Piercings

Rook piercings are known to be troublesome piercings and their position can vary from ear to ear due to high migration rates. They also have a frequently high rejection rate and most piercers will not pierce someone who does not have enough space for the piercing. These piercings are located on the area of the ear known as the anti-helix and are often referred to as anti-helix piercings. Their rate of healing varies by individual as well as spacing of the piercing.

Conch Piercings

There are two types of conch piercings for the ear: the inner and outer conch. The inner conch piercing is located toward the center of the ear cartilage and uses a hoop piercing sized to fit the ear. The outer conch piercing sits farther out on the ear, on the same center cartilage. These piercings heal within 8 to 10 weeks.

Tragus Piercings

The tragus piercing is located on the cartilage flap directly in front of ear canal. There is also a piercing known as the anti-tragus piercing which is located on the flap of cartilage above the ear lobe, but below the tragus piercing. These piercings are similar in care and can both be extremely painful. Most tragus and anti-tragus piercings heal within eighteen weeks.

Ear Lobe Piercings

The most common form of ear piercing is the lobe piercing. The lobe is the bottom-most tissue on the ear. Generally, these piercings heal within 4 to 6 weeks and are considered to be the least painful of all ear piercings.

Daith Piercings

The daith (pronounced day-th,) piercing is located on the cartilage on the innermost part of the ear, closest to the head by the ear canal. The word daith is a variation of the hebrew word, daath, which translates to ‘knowledge.’ These piercings take approximately 6 to 8 weeks to fully heal and jewelry can be switched out at this time.

Proper care of any piercing is extremely important to prevent infection and migration as well as premature closure. Piercings are a great way to show off a person’s individuality.

Body Paint Chinese Girl World Cup 2010 Photos

Body Paint Chinese Girl World Cup 2010 Photos