Trephined Aboriginal Skulls From British Columbia And Washington

Two specimens of trephined skulls were unearthed. One skull was incomplete; part of the face and lower portion of the skull had been broken off. The trephined area in the left part of the frontal is nearly circular, and is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter, tapers inward. The circular cut on the outside is larger than on the inside of the skull. In the second skull, the perforation was in the right parietal, nearly circular, about 1 3/4 inches in diameter, tapers inward. Trephining in both skulls is uneven in outline and of surface, both longitudinally and transversely. There are no signs of ante-mortem growth. Two other skulls from Boundary Bay, both females, were examined by Dr. A. Hrdlicka. Both showed occipital flattening; if they hadn't it could be concluded that they belonged to the Shoshonean-Algonquins. The younger female's crania showed an aperture situated in the upper part of the right parietal. The older female's skull showed a nearly circular opening on a level with and just back of the left frontal eminence. Both trephinings appear to have been done during life. Footnotes. Sketches. Table.