The Jivaro Indians - or Shuar people - of the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon are known for the ancient practice of shrinking human heads to the size of a man’s fist. They called them “tsantsa”.

They performed this primitive ritual to block the power of evil spirits that resided inside their enemy’s heads. Later on, massive demand from western collectors and tourists boosted the trade in shrunken heads, which translated into a sharp increase in killings to supply that demand. [sigh…] the almighty dollar…


Typical South-American Tsantsa - The size of a fist

How it was done… (source: Shrunken Head By Wikipedia)

The skull was removed from the head: the maker would make an incision on the back of the neck and proceeded to remove all the skin and flesh from the cranium. Afterwards, they sewed the eyelids shut and held the mouth together with splinters. Fat from the flesh of the head was removed. The flesh was then boiled in water in which a number of herbs containing tannins were steeped, then dried with hot rocks and sand, while being molded by the preparer to retain its human feature. The lips were sewn shut, and various decorative beads were added to the head.

South America wasn’t the only location where head hunters resided. Africa had some head hunters - like the pygmies - and head shrinking as well. This rare African shrunken head is only about the size of a man’s thumb, making it the smallest known shrunken head on Earth.


World’s smallest shrunken head - The size of a thumb

How to shrink a head yourself…

If you wanna shrink a human head yourself, then try out Pressman’s “Witch Doctor Head Shrinker Kit”. This bizarre toy was launched in 1958 and the commercial was shown on television in the late 60’s and early 70’s. How bizarre!


Pressman’s Witch Doctor Head Shrinker Kit