More and more social platforms are gradually becoming a grass-roots community, and the online red economy like Li Jiaqi is in the ascendant. There is also a very active but unknown trading market on Instagram, where the human skull is bought and sold.
Henry Scragg is one The blogger who traded human skulls on Instagram, he accidentally discovered and photographed 12 human skulls and hyena skeletons on eBay seven years ago. He decided to take photos and upload them to Instagram. Soon many people came to ask him about buying skulls. .
Scragg’s Instagram now has more than 33,000 fans and has become an active skull trading intermediary. Scragg also sold some skulls one after another, not to make money, but to buy more skulls.
On Instagram, bloggers like Scragg are passionate about collecting skullsmore than one. According to Vice report, an account called Skullhunter1979 will not only be attached The source of each skull, and even the life of the skull master, each skull sells for a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.
The archaeologists Damien Huffe and Shawn Graham also specifically investigated human remains transactions on Instagram and published an article called The Thess-Dead: The rhetoric of the human remains trade on Instagram.
They found a close connection on Instagram.The sales network of Tibetans and buyers is booming, with sales of only $5,200 in 2013, but by 2016 it has reached $57,000. Damien Huffe said the actual number is even bigger, according to which he surveyed the prices of some skulls. Up to nearly $20,000.
In fact, skull trading existed on the Internet very early, but the platform for trading at that time was mainly Ebay, according to the journal “Journal of Forensic Sciences” in 2106 a paper, only 454 of the human skulls released on eBay during the 7 months from 2012 to 2013 The average starting price is $648.63.
But in July 2016, eBay began to ban human remains transactions, and the skull trading position gradually moved to Instagram.
In fact, in many countries, the boundaries between the illegality of buying and selling human skulls are very vague. There are no restrictions on human remains transactions in the United States except for the three states. There are no laws in this area for such transactions.
And the laws of the United Kingdom stipulate that these skulls belong to the person who owns them, and there is no need to issue any proof, although public display of these skulls requires departmental approval,But there is no limit if you post photos on the internet.
Despite this, this skull trade has caused some controversy, some people will feel offended, but Scragg thinks that the skull itself is not terrible, but many people are afraid of facing the death behind them because of fear and jealousy.
But now Instagram has also announced that it does not allow the sale and sale of human remains on the platform. This policy is not strictly enforced. Currently, such skull transactions are still active on Instagram.
In fact, the history of buying and selling human remains is much longer than expected. As early as 19, many scientists and medical institutions actually purchased human remains for research experiments. India is India’s largest exporter of human remains, but in 1985 Human body exports are banned. China has also been one of the main sources of human remains, knowingIt was banned in 2008.
▲Image from: “The Geiger Being Saved”
Then, with the closure of some medical and scientific research institutions, these skulls began to flow to the market. Currently, the human remains collections on the market are mostly left over from experimental research at that time.
Some skulls are also thought to be associated with violent activities of colonialism. Even Western colonists have to kill tribal residents in order to obtain skulls, so the skulls of indigenous people tend to be more expensive. These skulls often contain local tribal culture, skulls. There are also some special decorations on it.
But Scragg pointed out that most of the skulls sold on Instagram from the original tribe are fake, but they are made from ordinary skulls, but many skull collectors don’t care.
Collecting a special hobby of the skull is also destined to be accepted by most people, but Scragg doesn’t think this is a pathological hobby. “If you pick it up, you will soon find out how much it is.” Beautiful, Scragg told the reporter of “Connect”:
If you want, I can help you get one.
The title map is from: National Geography