Hirota people of Japan intentionally deformed infant skulls 1,800 years ago

[admin]

The Hirota people, who occupied a Japanese island for around 400 years, deliberately flattened the back of their children's heads. And experts are not entirely sure why.

Hirota people of Japan intentionally deformed infant skulls 1,800 years ago : Read more

 

[Eloarei]

Is there any specific reason to believe that they did this intentionally, and that there wasn't some behavioral reason behind it? Infant skulls are very soft and if you leave them laying down on their backs they can become flat. Perhaps there's a very simple reason why this isn't the case with the Hirota, but I would think the article might like the address it, because to a layman it just seems like it might be simpler than the article is making it out to be.