Skulls adorn spots such as this sacred Simbo shrine and several other shrines and houses of the Solomon Islands (circa 1900).

However, on many of the Solomon Islands, one may find the human skull given particular attention. The skulls of deceased persons, especially those who held importance to the community, were usually kept while the rest of the body was buried or abandoned to the sea and/or the elements. Additionally, skulls as trophies of battle were not uncommon; Solomon natives included headhunting tribes and cannibals — who were practicing their craft at least as recently as the early Twentieth Century.

Canoe figureheads sometimes displayed a skull, grasped in stylized carved hands, when the boat returned victorious from a battle. Small shrines or effigies on land might display a single skull, or a small collection of skulls. Such altars dot the Islands, sacred places at which the rites of sacrifice and worship were practiced.

More dramatically, entire structures were built to house up to dozens, even hundreds of skulls; some of these may still be found today and are common attractions for anthropological study or tourism. Kundu Hite (“Skull Island”) is the most dramatic and scared spot, but skull-studded sites can be found on Simbo and several other islands in the Solomons.

The importance of venerating one’s ancestors is given eerie power by the sight of the skull houses and shrines. Though barriers of language and culture (and years!) may hamper easy empathy with the headhunters of Simbo, one can easily imagine a spirit-shadowed existence in which the departed are around us all the time, influencing our lives in countless subtle or obvious ways. Whether you call it ‘magic’ or simply ‘history’, it is real enough — and should be respected at all times.