Per Aspera Ad astra

What people often call the "skeleton tribe" isn't a separate tribe at all, but a visual tradition practiced by groups in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, especially the Chimbu people (also known as Simbu).

These communities live in mountainous regions of the country's interior and have a long history of body painting as part of ritual, performance, and identity. Among the most recognizable forms is their skeleton body paint, where men cover themselves in black and white clay to resemble human bones.

The skeletal imagery was used as a form of psychological warfare, designed to intimidate enemies by making warriors appear less human and more like spirits or supernatural beings.

Spirit of the Renegade Monk, a woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunsho, 1783.

Have some more tea? I haven't had any yet, so I can't take more. You mean you can't take less. It is very easy to take more than nothing.

Posy ring with inscription "Loyalte ne peur" ("Loyalty not fear"), engraved with a hare, a hound, a hind, a fly, and plants.

England or France, 17th century.