By
LCDR Dave Hannah
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AB
Matt Gauley beside a ceremonial skull house.
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Photo
courtesy HMAS Tarakan
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Just
like a scene from a Robert Louis Stevenson novel, four sailors
tied their boat to a mangrove tree and ventured into the jungle
to discover bleached human skulls laid carefully to rest.
A shore party from HMAS Tarakan (LCDR Dave Hannah) recently came
face to face with the unique culture of the Solomon Islands when
invited by local elders to visit one of the more interesting and
sensitive parts of the region.
Skull Island is located on the southeastern edge of New Georgia
Island and has been used for the ceremonial storage of ancestral
skulls for over 300 years.
A coral platform at the centre of the island supports a carved
wooden box containing skulls and shell rings. Conch shells, more
skulls and other bones have been carefully placed in the platform’s
niches.
Like many culturally and historically significant places in the
region, locals are proud to share the experience with visitors
as long as they respect the site.
HMAS Tarakan’s second rotation to Op Anode has seen the ship
visit areas between Malaita and the New Georgia Group to conduct
logistical and surveying tasks.
The generous offer to visit Skull Island was typical of the welcome
that the ship has received during the operation.
