History of ear body modifications can be found in many ancient cultures. Whether a symbol of growth or a ritualistic purpose it is easy to find ear stretching and scarring. Many moons ago each tribe from Africa to the pacific had similar customs but no contact. In my opinion it is what connects indigenous cultures together. The creator gave us a gift. A gift for the love of the land and the gift to create. She gave us this to connect to one another and to her.
Ancient Egypt and Africa
One of the earliest found forms of body stretching can be found in Egypt. Pharaoh Tutankhamun body was found with stretched ears. In his tomb a pair of carved bead earrings where found as well. If you take a look at the old hieroglyphs you can find children both boys and girls with stretch ears, less adults. It is easy to assume they stretched their ears at a young age and took them out once they matured.
The tradition has been kept alive by present day tribes in Africa. The Mursai, Maasai, and Fulani tribes women and men still use stretching as symbol of growth. Some gauge their ears at a young age and taking them out once they reached maturity. Also, the opposite some began their journey once they hit puberty. They use different beads, stones, elephant tusk and more to create their jewelry.
Aztec, Mayan, Olmec
Their are many Gods in ancient cultures from South America that are depicted with gauges. In pre-Hispanic Mexico, adornments indicated a social or military rank, and could even have been worn as a religious symbol. Goddess Chalchiuhtlicue, patroness of earth-bound waters such as lakes, oceans, rivers and streams. In her ears she wears jade stones, called ‘Chalchiuhuis’ in Náhuatl. One Aztec god of creation was called Quetzalcóatl-Wind. He dared go down to the underworld to challenge Lord Death, Mictlantecuhtli, and retrieve the bones of humankind. He is depicted with spiral gauges. They used different materials and colors to represent different social ranks. That includes leather, stones, gold, and many more.
Southeast Asia
Many gauge artifacts are found in Indonesia. Ruby and Gold plus with intricate work. It was designed to be worn by women of the upper class of society. There is a long history of stretching in most of Southeast Asia. The intricate work of artisans was worn by the upper crust of society. Materials such as gold and precious stones served as status symbols. When I traveled to Bali a few years ago I noticed a lot of locals still had gauges to this day.
Polynesia
The Māori culture incorporates a significant amount of body modification rituals within its traditions, mainly as symbols of stature and also as a cultural identity. Considered a formal channel to symbolize rites of passage from childhood to adulthood, this is also widely used to authenticate a person’s entry into the next stage of life. Currently on the Big Island of Hawaii you will see many Hawaiians with gauges. An act of resistance and a pride of honoring their culture even though they were once stripped of it.