 Tongue piercing was practiced by the Aztec , Olmec and Mayan cultures as a ritual symbol . Wall paintings highlight a ritual of the Mayans during which nobility would pierce their tongues with thorns , collecting the blood on bark which would be burned in honor of the Mayan gods . It was also practiced by the Haida , Kwakiutl and Tlingit , as well as the <unk> and Sufis of the Middle East . 
