via International Journal of Osteology, 16 September 2023: A recent study examines a female skull from Biak Island, Papua, Indonesia, revealing insights into the interpersonal violence of the colonial era. The analysis, using digital and ultraviolet photography, identified multiple sharp force traumas, suggesting the woman, aged 26-42, may have been executed, possibly during slave raids or as a suspected sorcerer. This research provides rare bioarchaeological evidence of skeletal trauma during this tumultuous period in Indonesia’s history.
In many world regions, conflict resulting from power struggles can lead to interpersonal violence. In the recent colonial past, tribes in Papua and Papua New Guinea engaged in war and raiding that resulted in interpersonal violence, abduction, slavery, and casualties. This case study focuses on the analysis of a colonial period individual from Biak Island, Papua, Indonesia, using a biocultural approach. Only the cranium was available for analysis. Standard osteological methods were used to determine that the individual was likely a young to mid-aged (26- to 42-year-old) adult female. Skeletal lesion type and patterning were observed macroscopically with digital photography and a newly developed ultraviolet light photography technique. Multiple sharp force trauma injuries were identified on the frontal, temporal, and occipital bones of the cranium. Interpreting the pattern of trauma within the context of the colonial period in Papua, it is suggested that this female individual may have been murdered, possibly as a slave taken during tribal warfare. This report is a significant resource for future bioarchaeological studies in Papua as it provides one of the only accounts of skeletal trauma during the colonial period in the region.
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology | Wiley Online Library
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