University of Otago researchers examine 2000-3000-year-old skulls to uncover why Pacific communities of that era intentionally pulled their teeth
Ritual tooth ablation, the intentional removal of teeth, is a highly visible form of body modification that can signal group identity and mark certain life events, such as marriage.
In our study, we look at the skeletons of people from eastern Indonesia and Vanuatu who lived during the Neolithic period between 2000 and 3000 years ago. In eastern Indonesia, we found that the same teeth were removed in all the groups we studied.
This means that tooth ablation was likely an important ritual process associated with the early expansion of sea-faring Austronesian-speaking populations who settled the region. In Vanuatu, tooth ablation was either a Southeast Asian tradition brought by Austronesian settlers, was introduced later from Near Oceania, or was an indigenous development in Vanuatu.
Interestingly, the same pattern of tooth ablation has been documented in modern and historic reports of northern Vanuatu communities, suggesting that tooth removal may be a 2500 year old tradition in the islands.
- Dr Rebecca Kinaston from the University of Otago Department of Anatomy
