ABOUT THE EVENT

All cultures practice some type of body modification, be it body painting, piercing, tattooing, scarring or re-shaping. In many cultures, body modification is done to indicate social position, family affiliation, marital status, identify with a particular ethnic or gender group, perform a rite of passage, ward off or invoke the spirits, or to transfer information. In this presentation, Dr. Diaz-Granados, Archaeologists and Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology, Washington University, explores body art and body modification in several world cultures focusing in on a selection of American Indian cultures.