Elongated Skulls Of Peru: Not The Only Ones!
Excerpt:
Why did people around the world begin this practice? It has been concluded, especially with circumferential compression, that hats, bands or other apparatus was intentionally applied and was not the unintentional outcome to child rearing practices. Unfortunately, the original meaning or ritual significance has essentially been lost and in many cases has been replaced by the blind following of an ancient tradition. In the few traces of beliefs that have survived we do find a consistency and general theme which may reveal at least in part some of our ancestor’s underlying motivations. Many cultures believe that an elongated head indicates increased intelligence. It was also thought to enhance one’s beauty or was a trait to be admired. Some cultures believe it will make them look fierce in war.
A correlation between deformation and the appearance of social classes has also emerged. . In many cultures, a deformed head was an indicator of increased social position. Extending throughout Europe, a large number of elongated skulls have been discovered in ancient tombs. These finds by themselves suggest that the interred individuals were viewed as having some kind of elevated social standing which warranted a more elaborate burial. Parallel finds have been unearthed in Peru. Some of the most ill-shaped heads were discovered in some of the largest and finest tombs side by side with skulls of normal size and proportion.
A chief or members of the royal family, for example, may exhibit increased deformation, while a priest, shaman or individuals with local eminence may display a less intense modification. Thus, he who has the longest head was the most noble. Studies into indigenous cultures like the Native American Chinooks of the Pacific Northwest relay that slaves were never permitted to practice this ritual. The ancient Macrocephali people of Africa, of whom the word macrocephalic is derived, believed that men of low birth had no right to observe this custom. This may explain in part why this modification was not equally employed by all members of a community.
Some cultures report that the practice of cranial deformation was passed on as an edict from the gods. Ancient Polynesian tradition informs us that this right was brought to them by a group of light-skinned people whose home was in the sky. In Central America claims are made that this custom was employed because the gods told their ancestors to do it. They go on to state that the practice makes it easier to carry burdens. In Peru, the god Manco Cápac ordered the people to perform this strange ritual so that their children would be weak, submissive and obedient.
More at site
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Not quite as mysterious as it may have seemed.....
Excerpt:
Why did people around the world begin this practice? It has been concluded, especially with circumferential compression, that hats, bands or other apparatus was intentionally applied and was not the unintentional outcome to child rearing practices. Unfortunately, the original meaning or ritual significance has essentially been lost and in many cases has been replaced by the blind following of an ancient tradition. In the few traces of beliefs that have survived we do find a consistency and general theme which may reveal at least in part some of our ancestor’s underlying motivations. Many cultures believe that an elongated head indicates increased intelligence. It was also thought to enhance one’s beauty or was a trait to be admired. Some cultures believe it will make them look fierce in war.
A correlation between deformation and the appearance of social classes has also emerged. . In many cultures, a deformed head was an indicator of increased social position. Extending throughout Europe, a large number of elongated skulls have been discovered in ancient tombs. These finds by themselves suggest that the interred individuals were viewed as having some kind of elevated social standing which warranted a more elaborate burial. Parallel finds have been unearthed in Peru. Some of the most ill-shaped heads were discovered in some of the largest and finest tombs side by side with skulls of normal size and proportion.
A chief or members of the royal family, for example, may exhibit increased deformation, while a priest, shaman or individuals with local eminence may display a less intense modification. Thus, he who has the longest head was the most noble. Studies into indigenous cultures like the Native American Chinooks of the Pacific Northwest relay that slaves were never permitted to practice this ritual. The ancient Macrocephali people of Africa, of whom the word macrocephalic is derived, believed that men of low birth had no right to observe this custom. This may explain in part why this modification was not equally employed by all members of a community.
Some cultures report that the practice of cranial deformation was passed on as an edict from the gods. Ancient Polynesian tradition informs us that this right was brought to them by a group of light-skinned people whose home was in the sky. In Central America claims are made that this custom was employed because the gods told their ancestors to do it. They go on to state that the practice makes it easier to carry burdens. In Peru, the god Manco Cápac ordered the people to perform this strange ritual so that their children would be weak, submissive and obedient.
More at site
______________________________________________________________________
Not quite as mysterious as it may have seemed.....