Body Modification: Tattoos and Branding

Tattoos, Piercing & The Modern Primitive Movement

FAKIR MUSAFAR, Father of the Modern Primitive Movement, is known worldwide for his fifty year's research and personal exploration of primitive body decoration and rituals.

Born in 1930 on what was then an Indian Reservation, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He studied electrical engineering and has a B.S.E. degree from Northern State University (South Dakota) plus an M.A. degree in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Fakir Musafar is a Master Piercer and shaman with over 40 years experience in the body arts. Starting in 1948, he has championed the ancient practices and modern techniques in general use today. Fakir has introduced concepts and practices for the "body-first" approach to explore spirituality in art, body modifications, SM and what he calls "body play". Fakir is a co-developer of the established techniques of contemporary body piercing.

Fakir's practices have been shown and his views expressed in the 1985 film DANCES SACRED & PROFANE and in ReSearch publications 1986 book MODERN PRIMITIVES (a word Fakir coined in 1979 to describe himself and a few kindred spirits).


WRITING:

Fakir's interviews and writings have been included in many anthologies and scholarly works like:

• BODIES UNDER SIEGE, Self-mutilation and Body Modification in Culture and Psychiatry (1996 by Armando Favazza, M.D., a psychiatric text published by John Hopkins University Press);
• Mark Thompson's LEATHERFOLK;
• Freedom Press' VOICES FROM THE EDGE;
• Random House's Villard Books edition of DIFFERENT LOVING;
• Valerie Steele's 1996 Oxford University Press book FETISH.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA:

• In the early 1990's Fakir appeared on many mass media shows like NBC's Faith Daniels Show, CBS's People Are Talking, CNN's Earth Matters and Discovery Channel (Beyond Bizarre).
• In 1998 Fakir made in-depth documentary segments for London Weekend Television's Southbank Show and Playboy Television's "Sexcetera" (Body Mod Squad).
• In 1999 he was subject of a documentary film (Fakir Musafar:Profile) made by CANAL + of France for their short film series "La Nuit du Cyclone".
• In 2000, 2001 and 2003 he has appeared in documentaries for The Learning Channel (Human Canvas Part I and Part II), TBS, FX Channel and Discovery Channel plus a major appearance in the 2001 documentary film "Modern Tribalism".
• In 2004 Fakir Musafar is a spokesperson for the National Geographic Channel's TABOO series and has expressed radical contemporary views on body rituals on the Travel Channel's "Eye of the Beholder" series hosted by Serena Yang.

ONLINE:
He has been labeled by various media as "Father of the Modern Primitive Movement". For nine years he published his own photo magazine BODY PLAY & MODERN PRIMITIVES for those in our culture "who hear the sound of a different drummer." BODY PLAY ONLINE is currently available on his web site: http://www.bodyplay.com . For more information on body modification generally: http://www.bmezine.com/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/highspeed/taboo/