Most women who have their nose pierced probably know at least a little something about the cultural history of their piercing. Nose piercing is believed to have begun amongst nomadic tribes from the Middle East, who then traveled through India, leaving it (amongst other things) behind to be adopted and become a part of the culture there. The piercing of a woman’s left nostril in particular, is even incorporated into Indian Ayurvedic Medicine.
A popular style of piercing that’s now coming into western mainstream modification, is the collective piercing of both nostrils and the septum tissue in between. What you might not know, is that this too is appropriated from Indian culture. This set of three coordinated piercings has been popular amongst hill tribes throughout India and Nepal for centuries, and some of them continue the practice to this day, like sub-groups amongst the Khond and the Jat.
The main vehicle for this new-found love of multiple nose piercings seems to be yet another cultural trend that’s been reborn: tribal dance. Belly dance in particular, now practiced amongst a growing collective of young women in the United States, Australia, and the UK, has been a huge factor in bolstering the trend of nose and septum piercings worn together.
