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Description
The human history of Skull Island is almost as interesting as the natural history of its animal species.
As far as we know, there were three colonisation events in known history.
The first came potentially as long ago as 2000 BC, and was responsible for the many megalithic structures now present on the island as ruins. These people are known by the current Skull Islanders as “God-bringers”. The “God-bringers” probably came from mainland Southeast-Asia (Cambodia or Thailand), and potentially belonged to a civilisation that is otherwise lost to history. Racially they were brown-skinned Asian folk, much like modern Thai people in appearance; we know this from anthropological studies of their skeletons. These have been found in tombs, located in little-explored parts of the island.
“God-bringers” were a very advanced civilisation for so long ago, rivalling the ancient Egyptians of Giza and Heliopolis. They possessed skills in agriculture and building that were beyond those of other Southeast-asian people of the time. They kept Carabao, also known as water-buffalo, which still exist on the island. They also kept chickens, but these seem to have been wiped out after the collapse of their civilisation, most probably because of the great many small carnivorous dinosaurs.
Remains of their main city state have been found, but rising sea-levels since their time have resulted in this particular ruin being mainly underwater. This ruin is situated behind the great gated wall that is so notorious throughout Skull Island’s history, being used by later tribes for sacrifices to Kong. During the height of their city-state, this wall served mainly to protect their people from large dangerous dinosaurs and other animals.
The “:God-bringers” had a thriving artisan material culture, making textiles from woven animal fur and plant fibres, carving jewellery from precious and semi-precious stones and mounting them on settings worked from various metals. Their weapons consisted of smithed metal blades mounted on carved wooden spears or hilts. Painting and frieze-making made up a large part of their storytelling and folklore; they made various dyes and paints from ochres, animal blood, plants and even the fluids from marine invertebrates. Only a few remains of “God-bringer” clothing have been found, but we do know that they wove textiles from animal wool and from plant fibres, these seem to have been sewn together into rather practical clothing that was decorated with dyed patters and symbols. Higher status would be indicated by wearing more jewellery and other ceremonial items.
This civilisation brought the Kongs to Skull Island as domesticated beasts of burden that were used widely in the construction of their large buildings and megaliths. Without the physical prowess and trainable intelligence of the Kongs, such a civilisation would not have been possible. These domestic Kongs may have also played a part in guarding the “God-bringer” civilisation from various other large and dangerous animals, such as dinosaurs. The current Skull Islanders call these people “God-bringers” because of their use of the Kongs, but how they know this is a mystery.
Also mysterious is how the “God-bringer” civilisation fell, leaving no descendants in the modern day, though some may have intermarried with the Skull Islanders towards the end. The prevailing hypothesis is that a combination of civil war and a particularly bad plague of disease must have left their society in ruins, with the last of the “God-bringers” intermarrying and assimilating with the Skull Island Natives.
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Currently the only permanent inhabitants of Skull Island are the Skull Island Natives, who are a race of stocky Negritos that mainly live behind the ruins of the great wall. They seem to have arrived just as the “God-bringer” civilisation began to fall, around 800 years ago. They are somewhat degenerate in culture, relying almost solely on the bounty of the sea, as well as sparse hunting in the forests and estuaries behind the wall. Skull Islanders’ villages consist of large huts made from tarp-like structures woven from palm-leaf fibre.
Artisan and material culture consists mainly of items carved from animal bones or wood, which are often woven together with strings made from plant fibre. Clothing consists of loin cloths and cloaks made from plant fibres and animal skins. Ceremonial wear consists of head-dresses made from flowers, bones and bird feathers. Body-paint is also used during ceremonies and celebrations, some are made from ochre or plant dye, and one kind is even made from the bioluminescent liquid from a certain kind of crustacean.
Skull Islanders know almost nothing of agriculture or domestication, but will keep more placid small animals as pets, such as Urvogels and Moposaurs.
Skull Islander civilisation centres on the ruins of the great wall; from here they worship their god, King Kong himself. Prior to the near-eradication of the Kongs, it appears that Kongs other than the King, as well as the last of the Gaw species, were worshipped as opposing forces of good and evil. How far back this religion goes is a mystery, but skeletal remains of virgin sacrifices found in King Kong’s lair have been dated at up to 200 years old.
Virgin women that were particularly beautiful were regularly sacrificed to the Kongs, most often at significant points in the lunar calendar. The offering was dressed in fine textiles and dressings made specifically for the occasion, and she would be tied up at the wall’s summit, to await her fate. Large portions of wrecked ship metal are fastened to the rim of the wall, and are beaten like gongs to summon the Kongs during this ritual. All this time, drums are beaten, and ritual songs and dances are performed around the wall in the hopes of pleasing their God.
A common misconception is that King Kong mutilates and eats his offerings, this is not technically true. He would usually fawn over his new plaything for many days, prodding and even undressing the poor girls in admiration of their beauty, which often had him transfixed. Ultimately, his brute strength would result in them getting fatally injured, or they may starve or die of shock. He would usually carefully place these corpses in an almost reverent way, near one corner of his lair, where in the relatively dry air they would partially mummify. This was aided by the fact that the lair was usually fairly clean and free of vermin, as many apes are notoriously fastidious.
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The third “colonisation” of Skull Island can barely be called this. At various stages in history, Thai and Indonesian seafarers and pirates have ventured to the island in search of trophies, riches or notoriety. Tomb-robbing in search of “God-bringer” jewellery and artefacts was common at one stage, and the trade in these pieces has resulted in some finding their way into museums for study. Some bold folk would make hunting parties into the wilds of the island in search of trophies or folk medicine to be made from the remains of various animals. A dried skull and a hand of a young Kong were found far afield in Tibet, where they were misattributed by a clan of monks as relics of the Abominable Snowman. Doubtless they had actually been traded overland to whoever paid the most, and somehow made their way to the hands of the monks. Relics from large dinosaurs have been found in various places in mainland Asia, and indeed word-of mouth seems to have resulted in depictions of dinosaurs in petroglyphs and temples from such far flung places as the Ishtar Gate and Angkor Wat.
Indeed, it is from such clues that the myth of Skull Island made its way to westerners, and led to various scientific and glory-seeking expeditions by white men from the 30’s onwards. These expeditions have brought back photographic and cinematic material that records the wonders of Skull Island for all to see. Eventually even some physical remains of these creatures have been sent to museums for study, though the fate of King Kong’s remains is still a controversial issue.
