HEAD FLATTENING

'Head flattening', also called 'Head binding', is deformation of the human skull in such a way as to cause it to become flatter. It can be accidental but more usually is a part of a cultural ritual, typically on an infant as the skull is most sculptable at this time.

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History

History

Head flattening has been practiced by various cultures throughout history. The earliest known culture to bind their children's heads in order to produce more cosmetically pleasing head shapes was the ancient Egyptians of the third millennium BC. The practice was also known among the aboriginal inhabitants of Australia and certain tribes of North American Natives, most notably, the Chinookan tribes of the North West, the Choctaw of the South East.
The different cultures have had different ideals of beauty. Some cultures bound the head between two pieces of wood in order to create an elongated head. Some bound the head in cloth to produce a more rounded appearance. Yet others bound the head in such a way as to flatten and lengthen the forehead.
The Native American group known as the Flathead did not in fact practice head flattening, but were named such in contrast to other Salishan people who used skull modification to make the head appear more round [1]. However, other tribes, including the Choctaw [2], did practice head flattening, by strapping the infant's head to a cradleboard.