The body is the physical link between ourselves, our souls, and the outside world.
It is the medium through which we most directly project ourselves in social life;
our use and presentation of it say precise things about the society in which we live,
the degree of our integration within that society, and the controls which society
exerts over the inner man.
-Victoria Ebin, The Body Decorated

Body modification and ornamentation plays a role in many cultures the world over. It has been used in rites of passage, in the calling of spirits, and to enhance beauty (Krakow, 17). The adornment of the body takes many forms. It can be as moderate as body painting, hair styling, tattooing, scarification, and piercing, and as extreme as finger amputation and genital mutilation. The diversity of each culture's customs regarding body modification and the symbolism found therein reveals much about the people's philosophy and societal standards. In this study of four cultures-- the Maori and Samoans of Polynesia, and the Mehinaku and Kayapo of the Amazon-- body modification and adornment practices will be analyzed. I will examine the function of adornment in each society, differences between adornment of males and females, and use of body modification in rites of passage. I will also look at similarities among the practices and purposes of body decoration in the four cultures and possible reasons why such behavior is almost universal.