page_title: Suspension (body modification)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Suspension (body modification) / History
context_page_description: Body suspension means the act of rigging a human body to hang from implements that have been placed through temporary perforations in the skin.
context_section_description: Historically, the Okipa ceremony - which includes piercing and suspension - has been a major part of Mandan religious life. This ceremony of the Plains Indians tribe first became known outside the tribe in  1832. This complex ceremony about the creation of the earth was glimpsed, and then aspects of it depicted for a non-Native public, by painter George Catlin. The piercing and suspension is only one part of the Okipa ceremony. The territory of the Mandan tribe is located along the banks of the Missouri River.
  Modern-day suspensions, as performed by non-Natives involved in the Modern Primitivism movement, are based on imitations of Catlin's artwork combined with the experimental creations of fellow performance artists. Artists involved in creating modern suspension experiences include Allen Falkner, who first introduced suspension as a secular activity; the researcher Stelarc, who performed suspensions in the 70's and 80's, including hanging himself between skyscrapers; and Fakir Musafar (Roland Loomis).
caption: "The Cutting Scene, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony" by George Catlin, circa 1832
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