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Where was nose piercing practiced as a form of body decoration?
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Body modifications and mutilations
Peruvian elongated skulls, trephined male (left) and intact female (right), c. 1000 bc.
Nose piercing for personal adornment has been a widespread cultural practice throughout history. It involves the perforation of the septum or the alae (the wings of the nose) to accommodate various ornaments, ranging from gold and jewels to pointed sticks or animal tusks.12
Geographically, this form of body decoration has been documented in the following regions:
- India: A prominent location for the tradition, where nose ornaments are often used to signify social rank.12
- Africa: Widespread practice across various groups.12
- The Americas: Common among pre-Columbian cultures and South American Indians, with sporadic occurrences among North American Indian groups.12
- Oceania: Frequently practiced by Melanesians, with sporadic instances among Polynesians.12
- Australia: Documented as a location where such ornaments have been utilized.1
In contemporary times, these piercings have also been adopted within some Western cultural groups as a form of social expression or experimentation.2