Like the bun to the burger, like the burger to the bun, like the cherry to the apple, to the peach to the plum
The enemy and those who accompany him are killed as expeditiously as possible. Although the Jivaro-Shuar are known to use blow darts and a curare-like toxin for hunting and, as mentioned, will exchange gunfire with their enemies in the hostilities exchanged before the battle proper is joined, the preferred method for killing in warfare is the use of a long spear thrown or thrust into the neck, as this not only accords with custom but also prevents the victim from crying out for assistance and may aid the beheading that is to follow. Heads may be taken from all members of the victim’s party, although his is the true target. It is worth noting that when the enemy groups are closely related, however, a scruple arises that relatives may not take one another’s heads; otherwise, all adult combatants are vulnerable to harvest. Children’s corpses are largely discarded without beheading. (…)
After a meal at their designated base camp, the returning warriors turn to the ritual of making the tsantsa [shrunken head]. First, in a pair, they remove the victim’s scalp, starting with an incision either from the base of the ear to the base of the neck or merely of a comparable distance along the posterior midline.
{ The science of shrinking human heads: tribal warfare and revenge among the South American Jivaro-Shuar | Continue reading | PDF }
