Movies like Beetlejuice [Beetlejuice, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094721/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1] (1988) and the ever-popular Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0030079/bio] (2004) have used shrunken heads as a form of comedic relief; however, the actual practice of creating a shrunken head is extremely dark. While numerous cultures participated in the practice of headhunting, the Ecuadorian Amazon and the Peruvian Amazon Jivaros Indian Tribe did more than just headhunt: They shrunk the heads that they collected.
Obviously, questions abound:
• Are shrunken heads real?
• Why did they take the heads in the first place?
• How did they shrink the heads?
• What was accomplished through shrinking the head?
The purpose of head hunting
Following …show more content…
The Marind-anim tribe of New Guinea removed the heads of their opponents so they could control their spirits. They also consumed the flesh of their slain opponent.
However, despite the various forms of headhunting practiced around the world, The Jivaro Indians are the only group of headhunters that practiced the art of reducing the human head to the size of a man’s fist.
The Jivaroan Indian Tribe
The Jivaroan tribe actually consists of four sub-tribes: Achuar, Aguaruna, Huambisa and Shuar. All of these tribes reside in the Amazon Rainforest: The Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest, to be exact. The Shuar tribe is notorious for practicing the art of shrinking human heads [shrinking human heads, http://odditiesbizarre.com/shrunken-heads-yesterday-today/]: Once the head is reduced, it is referred to as a ‘tsantsa.’ Transforming a head into a tsantsa was a deadly insult to the slain warrior as well as his entire
Obviously, questions abound:
• Are shrunken heads real?
• Why did they take the heads in the first place?
• How did they shrink the heads?
• What was accomplished through shrinking the head?
The purpose of head hunting
Following …show more content…
The Marind-anim tribe of New Guinea removed the heads of their opponents so they could control their spirits. They also consumed the flesh of their slain opponent.
However, despite the various forms of headhunting practiced around the world, The Jivaro Indians are the only group of headhunters that practiced the art of reducing the human head to the size of a man’s fist.
The Jivaroan Indian Tribe
The Jivaroan tribe actually consists of four sub-tribes: Achuar, Aguaruna, Huambisa and Shuar. All of these tribes reside in the Amazon Rainforest: The Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest, to be exact. The Shuar tribe is notorious for practicing the art of shrinking human heads [shrinking human heads, http://odditiesbizarre.com/shrunken-heads-yesterday-today/]: Once the head is reduced, it is referred to as a ‘tsantsa.’ Transforming a head into a tsantsa was a deadly insult to the slain warrior as well as his entire