Wounds on Colonial-Era Skull Examined in Indonesia

Press/Media

Period	27 Dec 2023

Media contributions

Title	Wounds on Colonial-Era Skull Examined in Indonesia
Degree of recognition	International
Media name/outlet	Archaeology Magazine
Media type	Print
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
Date	27/12/23
Description	SURABAYA, EAST JAVA—Live Science reports that a team of researchers led by forensic anthropologist Rizky Sugianto Putri of Airlangga University used ultraviolet photography to examine a skull discovered in 1935 on Biak Island, which is located in the Papua province of Indonesia. The study determined that the skull belonged to a woman who was between the ages of 26 and 42 when she was killed by multiple sharp force trauma injuries. The remains have been dated to the colonial period, between the sixteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, when the Dutch controlled much of Indonesia. The word “Biak” had been written on the skull, and may indicate that she was a member of a local group. Putri and her colleagues think that the woman may have been killed during a slave raid or warfare. “The execution-style wounds on the cranium support that the individual was kneeling or sitting and was not able to defend themselves actively,” she said, noting that the injuries are consistent with those made by a parang, a weapon used by Papuan groups during the colonial period. For more on the archaeology of Indonesia, go to "Honoring the Ancestors."
Persons	Rizky Sugianto Putri