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The Antique Circus

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The Shrunken Head Gallery

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This site contains pictures of REAL SHRUNKEN HEADS. If you find this offensive, please close this page now. Thanks You !!

The people of South America known collectively as the Jivaro are well know for their practice of shrinking the heads of their enemies. Raids on alien tribes were carried out specifically to secure tsantsas, or shrunken head trophies. To understand the motives behind the preparation of tsantsa it is necessary to realize that the tsantsa itself possesses tsarutama or magical power. The tsantsa trophies also bring prestige to the head  takers and trap the avenging souls of their victims.

By the end of the nineteenth century, little was still known about the Jivaro Indian clans in South America, except for their macabre practices of taking the heads of their enemies. This practice intrigued travelers and collectors and compelled them to visit these tribes to satisfy their curiosity.

 The visits of the white man helped revolutionize the Jivaro's methods of warfare, as they began  trading firearms and ammunition for shrunken human heads. The Jivaros aware that a demand for their tsantsa was developing, were quick to comply with the traders to satisfy their own needs.

As more and more travelers engaged in this gruesome trade, it soon became necessary for the Peruvian and Ecuadorian governments to pass severe and expedient laws prohibiting the traffic of human heads. The laws were established to deter tourists and travelers who secured the tsantsa as curios and had no concept that their trade was actually perpetuating feuding and warfare between neighboring tribes. At one time the Jivaros had demanded a firearm for each tsantsa, which allowed him to continue their war against their enemies more successfully. This destructive cycle was continuously reinforced as new heads were acquired for further bartering.

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A main reason behind the preparation of the tsantsa is to paralyze the spirit of the enemy attached to the head so that it cannot escape and take revenge upon the murderer. When the warrior kills his enemy, he is not only after the victim's life, but more importantly he seeks to possess the victim's soul. Acquiring trophies after a battle, was also an          instrument of increasing a warrior's own personal power, known as arutam. The power of the dead man's soul is still considered dangerous to the victorious tribe and therefore the motive behind shrinking the head of the enemy is to conquer and destroy the spirit of the ememy. The head means to the warrior what the Medal of Honor means to an American soldier.

 The first step is the removal of the head of the unfortunate victim. The skin is cut around the top parts of the chest and  back and the head is cut off close to the collarbone. A slit is made in the back of the head, and the skin is carefully removed from the skull. The skin is then boiled in plain water for about half an hour. By now it has reduced to about half of its original size. It is then placed over a stick and left to dry.

 The skin is now turned inside out, and any remaining flesh is scraped away. It is turned right side out again, and the slit in the back where the skull was removed is sewn together and the mouth is tied shut. Several small rocks are heated in a fire and placed into the skin. They are rolled around inside until cool, dumped, and the process is repeated until the tsantsa has shrunk too much to accommodate the stones. Hot sand is used to continue the shrinking. At this time the head is shaped, and a hot knife is pressed against the mouth to dry it. Throughout the shrinking process the neck must be drawn closed with a string that has been sewn through it so that it will remain proportionate to the head.