Artificial cranial deformation practice in Pacific Northwest tribes. Lewis and Clark documented a burial site with 3,000 above-ground canoe burials of Chinook and Salish-speaking peoples Modified craniums were a sign of freedom among Chinook and Salish peoples - only slaves did not have modified skulls Parents would modify children's skulls when young; if infection occurred and modification had to stop, the child was considered cursed and lowborn
Lewis & Clark documented hundreds (not 3,000) of above-ground canoe burials of Chinook & Salish peoples. 🏺 Cranial modification marked elite status — nobles practiced it as a status marker, while slaves typically did not receive modifications. This contrasts with Hawaii, where similar elite practices also existed. The claimed social reversal (modification = freedom vs. modification = nobility) appears to misstate the status associations of this practice.
Key Facts
- Lewis and Clark documented a burial site with 3,000 above-ground canoe burials of Chinook and Salish-speaking peoples
- Modified craniums were a sign of freedom among Chinook and Salish peoples - only slaves did not have modified skulls
- Parents would modify children's skulls when young; if infection occurred and modification had to stop, the child was considered cursed and lowborn
- In contrast to Hawaii where only nobles practiced cranial modification, in Pacific Northwest only non-slaves practiced it
Source: Elongated Skull Cover Up in Pacific Northwest? - w/@DeDunking (Dan Richards) by DeDunking