Skull Binding was an ancient custom that predates written history and was present amongst various tribes irrespective of the geographic diversity.
Do you know: While this practice is largely extinct now, it is still practised in a few places, like Vanuatu.
The earliest examples of cranial deformation date back, to the ninth millennium BC. Newborn infants at the age of 1 month were subject to this custom until the age of 6 months, because their skulls are more pliable at that age. Skull binding, flattening and cranial deformation were carried out to display social status, make someone aesthetically pleasing, closer to the spirit realms or more intelligent.
