how were shrunken heads made

Shrunken heads, known as tsantsas, were made by the Jivaroan peoples (including the Shuar) in the Amazon region through a detailed ritual process. The method involved first removing the skull from the severed human head by making an incision at the back of the neck or ear. All the flesh and skin were carefully separated from the skull. The eyes and lips were then sewn shut, often with palm pins or needles, and red seeds placed under the nostrils. The skin and flesh, without the skull, were wrapped around a wooden ball to retain the head’s form. Next, the head was boiled in water infused with herbs that contained tannins, which shrunk the skin while preserving it. After boiling, the head was dried and further shaped by placing hot stones and sand inside to make it contract and tan the inner skin, further tightening and shrinking it. The drying process included molding the head and rubbing the surface with charcoal ash to darken the skin and prevent the escaping of the spirit contained within. Decorative beads might then be added. The resulting shrunken head was much smaller than the original and retained recognizable human features. This ritual was performed to trap and harness the power of the avenging spirit of the enemy killed in battle, preventing it from harming the killer’s community and transferring spiritual power to the tribe, particularly to women who would tend crops and animals. The entire process took about two hours to boil and several days for ritual completion, with the heads being used in ceremonies and as spiritual trophies rather than mere war trophies. Most authentic shrunken heads were made from male warriors’ heads and discarded after losing their spiritual power. The trade and manufacture of shrunken heads have been outlawed since the 1930s, and many heads seen in collections are fakes made from animals like sloths. In summary, shrunken heads were made by removing the skull, boiling and treating the skin with herbs, drying and molding the head with hot stones and sand, sewing the eyes and mouth shut, then finishing with charcoal rubbing and sometimes decoration to create a preserved, smaller human head used for ritual purposes.