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Body Modification
Modern Primitives: How Primitive, How Modern?
By Terisa Green, Ph.D.
 The term “modern primitive,” coined when the movement was in its infancy, is now applied to virtually anyone whose modification echoes those practiced in the past. However, given the enormous variety of body modifications that have been done in the preceding 45,000 years, it would be difficult to find something new. Thus, the practices of modern body modifiers are necessarily going to overlap, echo, emulate, and recreate those of the past. As we have seen, though, the issues of motivation, purpose, and meaning behind body art or modification in the past are not particularly well understood or documented, especially the further back in time we look. At the same time, what we do know about traditional body modification in these different ancient cultures is sometimes so particularistic and specific to small groups of people that it defies attempts to emulate it. Fakir Musafar, the founder of the modern primitive movement, has characterized his own research as “body play” and publishes his information in the spirit of sharing his knowledge with other people who similarly “hear the sound of a different drummer.” There is an immediacy of experience that comes to the forefront of the modern movement as people go in search of modification techniques and some understanding of themselves, while also promoting their aesthetic values.
[Above image is the home page of Body Modification Ezine.]
Prehistoric and indigenous body modification seems to have had a very different tenor. Body modifications of all types seem to have been interwoven into the fabric of people’s cultures and individual lives. There was likely no question that certain elite members, and possibly only the elite members, would participate in the wearing of ear spools, for example. It was likely taken for granted that infants would have their under-lip slit for a later labret and to promote good health. It may have even been necessary to undergo facial tattooing in order to be considered an adult. The association of rituals and belief systems that integrated body modification into a larger concern for spiritual power and control may have proved powerful motivators. In many ancient societies, though certainly not all, body modification would have been seen as normal. In contrast, the modern primitive movement is only relatively recently starting to make entries into mainstream culture. And yet, modern primitives do share more than just a passing physical similarity to their ancient predecessors.
The early, widespread, and prevalent appearance of body modification begs the question of whether humans are predisposed to it. The desire and ability to exercise control over and create change in the human body, no matter the particular motivations, seems to be a broad common denominator to body modifications, then and now. An aesthetic association, specifically an improvement in personal appearance, also seems to be a repeated theme. While the modern primitive movement is not necessarily a recreation of specific ancient practices with their associated purposes, it does share the fundamental view that modification of the body is not only natural but also desirable.
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