How did the practice of head flattening work among some Northwest Coast peoples?

Among many Northwest Coast peoples, head flattening was considered a beautifying process and a marker of social status. The practice was reserved for infants of high status, involving a painless and gradual procedure to shape the skull.1

To achieve this, a newborn’s head was bound to a cradleboard using specific techniques to apply consistent, gentle pressure. Depending on the desired result, this could produce a long, subconical form, a strong slope from the eyebrows backward, or a wedge shape with a flattened back. While this modification was a sign of high status within the Northwest Coast culture area, it was not an absolute guarantee of an individual's current standing, as children from neighboring tribes who also practiced head flattening were sometimes captured and enslaved. The procedure had no impact on an individual's mental capabilities.21