In indigenous Huichol culture, men would experience the pain of childbirth by having their testicles pulled on by ropes, 1200s

 

In indigenous Huichol culture, men would experience the pain of childbirth by having their testicles pulled on by ropes, 1200s

The Huichol people are an indigenous group from Mexico but have large populations living in Southern states in the USA. The Huichol have particular rituals when it comes to the birth of a child. One of these rituals is that the woman does not go through the pain of birthing a child alone and that the man must join her in this process. And so, the man will sit on the roof rafters about where his wife is about to give birth. He will have two ropes tied around his testicles and when the woman feels any pain she will pull on these ropes, causing great pain. This will continue until the child is born. There are several art pieces from Huichol depicting this practice.