Shrunken Head Tribal Art Hanging

SHRUNKEN HEAD ☠️ available in Etsy now

Made from polymer clay, real sheep’s wool locks from @soniabicker , fox bones and paints.

Tsantsas are severed human heads that were used by tribal cultures in myriad ways. Sometimes, they were used as war trophies or for ceremonial purposes. In other cases, tribes might use them to scare off an enemy, using the heads as a threat. These were also used in religious rituals and, recently, they were even used for trade purposes.

Shrunken head rituals seem to most often be associated with war and the superstitions behind getting rid of your enemy. Headhunter warriors would decapitate enemies of the tribe and, depending on the ritual, the shrinking process could begin right away.

The warrior might remove their headband and thread it through the neck and mouth of the decapitated head for easy transport. The warrior also might make an incision from the back of the neck, all the way up the skull, preparing to remove the skin and hair.

The discarded skulls would often be offered to anacondas, which were seen as spiritual guides in their culture. Then, once the warriors returned to the tribe, the boiling process would begin with lavish celebrations full of eating and drinking.

First, the eyelids were sewn shut and the lips were skewered with sticks. Then, in a large boiling pot of water, the heads were simmered, emerging about a third of their original size with darker skin that was more rubbery and tough.



The process continues as hot stones and hot sand was placed inside the heads, which created a “tanning” effect on the inside, and the head was shaped further using additional hot stones until it was molded into the desired shape.



Finally, the heads were rubbed with charcoal or smoked over a fire to blacken, as it was believed that this would keep the avenged soul from escaping the head. Then, the head was placed on a stick or attached to string as a trophy, either carried or worn around a warrior’s neck.

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