c. AD 600 – 1200 (Social Identity): Intentional cranial modification was a significant cultural practice used to signal social belonging and lineage throughout the Caribbean.

c. AD 600 – 1200 (Social Identity): Intentional cranial modification was a significant cultural practice used to signal social belonging and lineage throughout the Caribbean. Research by A. van Duijvenbode indicates that these modifications, performed during infancy, permanently marked an individual’s identity. While the practice was regional, specific styles varied across islands, suggesting that head-shaping was a localized tradition that nonetheless participated in a shared Antillean aesthetic. This physical marking of the body serves as a powerful indicator of how indigenous groups materialized concepts of status and community identity.