The Jivaros are native to the area North of the Maranon River, around the border between the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon. They are infamous for the former custom of shrinking their dead enemies’ heads down to the size of an orange.

After vanquishing his opponent, a Jivaro warrior would decapitate him and escape with his prize head to an isolated part of the jungle where he could concentrate on the laborious process of shrinking the head.

Although some aspects of this process remain a mystery to this day, this much is known: first, the skin was peeled off the skull (the most difficult part to peel being the bridge of the nose). After this, the Jivaro warrior would boil the skin in water (some say special herbs were used) to begin shrinking what was essentially a bag of skin. To further reduce the size, hot rocks were introduced into the opening of the neck, which forced fat out of the pores, giving the skin a leathery consistency. The warrior was careful not to distort the features of his enemy, and keep the likeness even as the size was reduced. Finally, the head was smoked, and the lips staked and sewn shut.

Returning to his village with his prize, the warrior was greeted with an elaborate victory feast lasting several days, involving dancing, drinking and eating. The warrior himself had to fast during this feast, during which, according to native belief, he dominated and tamed the spirit of his dead enemy.

Many in the Amazon believe that he who possesses a tsantsa (or shrunken head) acquires supernatural powers and is safe from malignant spirits.

Return to Native