Common Guillemot / Common Murre skull (Uria aalge) 2 On the reverse you can

On the reverse you can see that it is stitched with plant fibres onto a rough hessian type backing

Cowrie shells and chips of turquoise are also incorporated into the design

but often their bones

There is a hole in the scapula and also the head of the fibula has crumbled a little as it has become friable over the years

Fearful of the deceased the Mahongwe showed particular devotion to relics of important ancestors

Common Guillemot / Common Murre skull (Uria aalge) 2 On the reverse you canThis is a skull of the common guillemot, also known as the common murre Uria aalge. This species is a large member of the Auk family with circumpolar distribution of the sub species in the Northern waters. They breed in huge colonies with a density of up to 20 pairs on one square metre of rock. They are expert divers with diving depths of 180m being recorded in search of food. This specimen was from a dead bird washed up on the shore. It is a very