Shrunken Heads
By Spooky | December 21, 2007
Not so much a mystery, its more of a strange custom of the Shuar Indians of present day Ecuador and Peru. A shrunken head is a real human head that has been prepared for display.
After World War II, the shrunken head of a Polish prisoner was found at the Buchenwald concentration camp, where it was displayed in the camp centre to terrify the prisoners.
The practice of making shrunken heads originally had religious significance; the heads were believed to harness the spirits of those enemies and compel them to serve the shrinker. In more recent years, collectors and tourists have traded firearms for shrunken heads increasing demand and fuelling inter-tribe warfare.
War
Shrunken heads are produced from the dead enemies of the tribe. They were created in order to protect the warrior from evil spirits. Immediately following a battle the head of a fallen enemy was taken as a trophy, indicating that the maker had properly fulfilled the obligation to his lineage in taking blood revenge.
The Shuar believe in the existence of three fundamental spirits; Wakani to innate to humans thus surviving their death, later turning into vapour; Arutam, literally “vision” or “power,” protects humans from a violent death and assures their survival and Muisak a vengeful spirit, which surfaces when an Arutam spirit-carrying person is murdered.
To block the last spirit from using its powers, they sever their enemy’s heads and shrink them. It also served as a way of warning enemies.
Creation
The shrunken heads were created by first removing the skull through an incision in the back of the severed head. The eyelids are sewn shut and the mouth held shut with splinters. The flesh is boiled in water with a mixture of herbs containing tannins, then dried using hot pebbles and sand. During the drying process the head can be moulded and shaped accordingly. The lips were then sewn shut and decorated with beads and ribbons.
The whole process is governed by strict rituals and feasts which around one week. The head would be worked on every day, on the way back to the warrior’s village. The final stages are performed a few hours from the village, where the final feast will be performed.
The Jivaro Indians were preoccupied with realism and the utmost care was taken in order to maintain the likeness of the slain victim’s face.
References
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Topics: Americas |
