Emily Chan
A new study has found that a woman from colonial Indonesia suffered from “execution-style wounds” due to enslavement or while she was captured for being accused as a sorcerer.
The woman’s skull was the only part of her remains that could be analyzed. It showed that she was between 26 and 42-years-old when she died.
In 1935, scientists from Airlangga University in Indonesia dug up the skull on Biak Island, which is located in what is now the Papua province of Indonesia.
It had multiple injuries on the frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes that were made by a sharp force. A team of researchers examined the injuries with digital and ultraviolet photography and published their findings in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.
The woman lived during Indonesia’s “colonial period,” which spanned from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. It was a time when the country was ruled by Europeans, particularly the Dutch. They practiced enslavement and would often conduct raids to capture the local people.
It is a possibility that the woman was killed during a raid, although her role is unclear. The question of whether she was an enslaved person or a victim who got caught in the crossfire still stands.
During these raids, female sorcerers called “mon” were highly sought after, so the woman may also have been regarded as a sorcerer.
Rizky Sugianto Putri, a forensic anthropologist at Airlangga University and the study’s lead author, said that “the execution-style wounds on the cranium support that the individual was kneeling or sitting and was not able to defend themselves actively.”
The identity of her killers also remains a mystery, but researchers were able to determine the type of weapon that was wielded to bring about her death.
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