Partnering with another photographer, we found descendants of Caroline's portrait subjects, and documented a rekindling of formerly outlawed cultural practices (thankfully, not headhunting). The old ways, much of them forgotten, are being studied anew and revitalized by locals. They are often synthesized with current religious beliefs. In one village we found an old-style raiding canoe that had been built using some plastic in place of abalone shell. The day we visited, the canoe was being launched in celebration of a Methodist holy day.
Our two-month long trip was an officially sanctioned flag expedition of The Explorers Club, the Society of Woman Geographers, and Wings WorldQuest.
Ancient traditions of skull worship are preserved in remote areas of the Coral Sea, like this reliquary on Skull Island in the Solomon Islands.