Real Shrunken Heads!

I got a few photos recently of the shrunken heads at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. They aren't the sort of thing you see too often these days as the average museum is too stuffy to keep them on display.

It's a shame I couldn't get greater detail, but they were behind glass and in a position where it was difficult to get a decent angle. Close-up, they are incredible - just like the tiny little heads they are, but with slightly longer eyelashes/facial hair than normal, as I guess hair doesn't shrink much. They were probably the most popular display there! Anyway, hope you like them.

Trader Woody

Hey Trader Woody, what's the background on those particular heads?

On 2004-03-19 01:44, Kon-Hemsby wrote:
Hey Trader Woody, what's the background on those particular heads?

To be honest, I didn't read the text as the heads themselves pretty much consume all your attention, but I'd assume they were mainly from the Jivaro Indians of the Amazon. The ones with the horns attached are not strictly shrunken heads, so were probably assembled by other South Americans.

Trader Woody

the head in the middle of the second picture is quite famous i've seen it in a few books.
i've tried to go to the pitt rivers once but it was either moving buildings or renovating at the time, so we went and watched star wars episode one, somehow i think i would have had more fun in the museum.

On 2004-03-19 01:44, Kon-Hemsby wrote:
Hey Trader Woody, what's the background on those particular heads?

The background looks like painted wood panels. Glad to be of help. :)
mr-smart-a*S-smiley

I found this info: (I apologize if this is not new...I tried to search for the recipe first)

"How to Prepare a Shrunken-Head
After an attack on the enemy, the victim or victims were killed and immediately decapitated. Sometimes the decapitation process occurred while the victim was still alive.

The head is cut off below the neck with a section of the skin from the chest and back is taken with it. The killer removes his woven head-band and passes it through the mouth and neck of the head and ties it over his shoulder to facilitate a rapid retreat from the victim's camp. Should the killer have no head band, the warrior will utilize a section of vine. The head shrinking process occurred in the following way:

With the immediate fighting over, the warriors assemble back at agreed upon camps alongside a river away from the enemy's territory. It is here that the head shrinking process begins.

Now safe, the killer begins to work on the head. A slit is made in the neck and up the back of the head, allowing the skin and hair to be carefully peeled from the skull. The skull is then discarded into the river and left as a gift to the pani, the anaconda.

Carefully, the eyes are sewn shut with fine native fiber. The lips are closed and skewered with little wooden pegs, which are later removed and replaced with dangling strings. From here the tsantsa goes to the sacred boiling pots or cooking jars. The head is simmered for approximately an hour and a half to two hours. If the heads were left for any longer, the hair would have fallen out. On removal from the pots, the skin is dark and rubbery, and the head is about 1/3 its original size. The skin is turned inside out and all the flesh adhering is scraped off with a knife. The scraped skin is then turned right side out and the slit in the rear is sewn together. What remains is similar to that of an empty rubber glove.

The final shrinking is done with hot stones and sand collected nearby in order to sear the interior and to shrink the head further. These stones are dropped one at a time through the neck opening and constantly rotated inside to prevent scorching. When the skin becomes too small for the stones to be rolled around within the head, sand is heated in a food bowl and substituted for the stones. The sand enters the crevices of the nose and ears, where the stones could not reach. This process is repeated frequently. Hot stones are later applied to the exterior of the face to seal and shape the features. Surplus hair is singed off and the finished product hung over a fire to harden and blacken. A heated machete is applied to the lips to dry them. Following this procedure, the three chonta are put through the lips and the lips are then lashed together with string.

This entire process would last for approximately one week, with the head being worked on daily while en route back to their own village. The last day of work on the trophy is spent in a forest a few hours away from their village where the first tsantsa celebration will take place. Here, the warriors will make a hole in the top of the head and a double kumai is inserted and tied to a shirt stick of chonta palm on the inside, so that the head can be worn around the warrior's neck.

The Jivaro Indians were preoccupied with realism, which is clearly shown in the careful preparation of the head. Due to the meticulousness of the tribesmen, the warrior tries to prepare the tsantsa with utmost care in order to maintain the original likeness of a the slain victim's face."

How to Prepare a Shrunken-Head

Cool! I can't wait to try it out!

Yipes! Now that's savage!

Thanks for the pics Woody. I've always found the taking of war "trophies" to be one of most bizarre & fascinating aspects of human conflict. My aunts father survived a kamikazi attack on his aircraft carrier during WWII. Afterwards he went over to the wreckage and found a little ear (about all that was left of the pilot). He still keeps it in a jar of formaldehyde to this day.

On 2004-03-20 03:30, Shipwreckjoey wrote:
I've always found the taking of war "trophies" to be one of most bizarre & fascinating aspects of human conflict. My aunts father survived a kamikazi attack on his aircraft carrier during WWII. Afterwards he went over to the wreckage and found a little ear (about all that was left of the pilot). He still keeps it in a jar of formaldehyde to this day.

You're quite right, it's a very interesting topic. What strikes me is that the taking of such trophies in some ways seems less distasteful as time goes by. A shrunken head taken 200 years ago would fascinate the average person, but if it turned out to have been made 2 months ago, most people would freak out.

Being in a conflict and having your enemy approaching you at speed with pieces of your allies dangling off them in various forms would undoubtably put the fear in you.
(To say the least)

Trader Woody

They used to have a couple shruken heads in the Ripleys Believe it or Not museum in Hollywood, off Hollywood Blvd. It's been at least 10 years since I've been there, though. I have no idea if they're still there.

Doc Bwana's
House of Shrunken Heads Museum
Trippy music to go with it.

They used to have a couple shruken heads in the Ripleys Believe it or Not museum in Hollywood, off Hollywood Blvd. It's been at least 10 years since I've been there, though. I have no idea if they're still there.

I went down to the touristy area of LA about 2 weeks ago and the Ripley's museum was prominently displaying large banners that advertised their REAL SHRUNKEN HEAD!! inside the museum. I didn't go though.

One of the Vanderbuilt mansions on L.I. has a small museum startedby one of the adventurous Vs (I forget which). Any hoo it's mostly wierd fish and things in formaldahide jars, but they do display 3 shrunken heads. Apparently 2 are fakes. Real heads yes, but not from a headhunting tribe. These were recent kills at the time of purchase and sold as souveniers.

hey, great pics! I would like to visit the Pitt river museum.

All that trouble for a little head.

The Nutcracker Suite music is a little disturbing when visitng the Shruken Head museum site. Very informative though....

[ Edited by: lovevw181 2006-06-11 23:12 ]

Or if you want to see a real shrunken head, catch an amazing Polynesian floor show, (and) sip a Black Magic, just go to the Mai Kai.

The UCLA Fowler Museum (Los Angeles) has a fantastic shrunken head that they never put on display (very sensitive to issues of displaying human remains) but I've seen him and he's great - just the size of your hand. Very eerie! South America origin, I think. You could still see the hairs on his face!

[ Edited by: BettyBleu 2006-06-12 11:38 ]

[ Edited by: BettyBleu 2006-06-12 11:39 ]

SO neat to find this thread as shrunken heads have been on my mind. I have just began re-reading Moby Dick (well - I am actually attempting the audiobook version - all 40 hours of it!) and had totally forgotten about the amazing bit in the first chapter about the Maori prince Queequeg selling the shrunken heads he purchased in New Zealand in the nighttime streets of New Bedford. Such an amazing image!

VanTiki

THat's pretty cool of a find. I saw an exhibit of some Shruken Heads a few years ago. It is such a different experience seeing them in person and knowing they are real. Amazing and Intriguing.

There used to be a Ripley's Believe it or Not at the bottom of the Blackpool tower in the UK
and I'm sure they had shrunken heads...

I love Ripley's! I went to the one near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and it was such a laugh!

Fascinating! Canabals were in New Guinea, Solomon Islands and even Marquesas in the South Pacific.
Our Disneyland shrunken head came from Peru, and we had sevearl others during WW2 when we had Trade Winds Trading Company at 959 La Cieniga Blvd. Daddy was South Sea island Trader and had several men who shipped him stuff in big crates. Wooden carved clubs, shileds etc. Where is all that art now?? The name of one of the men was Drumgold. After the war, daddy boaught lots of thes eitems from returoing soldiers and sailors who'd picke dit up from the islands. An interesting time!
The process for the shrunken head was amazing! W ew ere just told abpout the hot sand and rocks.. I wish I knew how to copy it off!
Would it be possible for "Trader" to email it to me? Auntie B

Again, when visiting the Mai Kai, there is a real shrunken head in the display case in the Samoa room. Jivaro I think...Plus an extra bonus-You're seeing in at the MAI KAI. That kinda makes it for me. :)

I went to Pitt River Museum this week. A couple of photo's for you.

[ Edited by: Kon-Hemsby 2007-09-01 00:07 ]

Maaaaaan...those a scary looking, especially that last one. :o

there are several shrunken heads at the Natural History Museum in NYC. about 4 or 5 of them are on display, and I do believe that they have a couple of other shrunken oddities that have never been displayed. and now alot of museums are facing repatriation issues, so some authentic remains have to be returned to their origins. The shrunken head " souvenir " was very popular at the turn of the century. natives got paid with guns for the delivery of their tiny trophy's!

I have a whole file on shrunken heads, with several recipes versions from different regions, including Africa. Nothing like seeing them in person!

Hey Sophista-tiki,
Do you have any pics of shrunken heads in your files? I'd love to see some pics if you have any. How about posting some of those recipes? :)

Here is something I picked up at Tiki Oasis 7:

"It's Mai Tai. It's out of this world." - Victor Jules Bergeron Jr.

[ Edited by: Mai Tai 2007-09-04 16:08 ]

There is a shrunken head exhibit at Kobey's in San Diego.

The fee is $2 to look at the heads. They are under a blanket in the trunk of his car.

Group discounts are available.

I could not bring my self to look. I was to scared and creeped out. :roll:

Lemme look for my file and I will post some pics and recipies. ina little while, man!

Here is a link to a Wall St. Journal article about Ripley's Believe It or Not, it has some info about real shrunken heads, and photos of them in the slideshow section.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124510731026116763.html#articleTabs_slideshow%26articleTabs%3Darticle

Believe it or not (just like Ripley's) I used to own that toy kit when I was a young brat in the very early 70's (well, if that doesn't give you a hint of my age!). I went through the gel packages and paints and hair and stuff in about a week. I do remember that it smelled bad after the drying process. There's no way we'll ever see those back at Toy'r'Us nowadays! Bizarre and un-PC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43UU0RBLXNs

MrBaliHai wrote:

Instructions on making your own apple-bases shrunken head:
http://bizarrelabs.com/shrunken.htm

On 2009-06-28 15:06, tikigik wrote:

MrBaliHai wrote:

Instructions on making your own apple-bases shrunken head:
http://bizarrelabs.com/shrunken.htm

i have this, haven't tried it out yet though.