Q: When
is a shrunken head a mystery?
A: When
it's a shrunken head at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and
History.
The
head in question was purportedly purchased in Ecuador sometime in the
1800s and donated to the museum in 1958. For almost twenty years it was on
display before a curator decided it needed to be removed. But it has been
put on display again this summer as the museum celebrates its 60th
anniversary.
Therein lies the mystery. Is the tiny head
(4.75 inches from the top of its head to its chin) a real human head? And
if so, is it a genuine Jivaro tsanta? Many of the museum's own
experts disagreed on the authenticity of the head.
So the museum asked the county medical
examiner's office to assist in making a determination. Dr. Dana Austin,
forensic anthropologist, was given the job.
Is the head a real shrunken
human head? Dr. Austin
had to rule out fakery--and monkey substitutes--which she did after a
careful examination. Her answer: Yes.
Is the head a real Jivaro tsanta?
Dr. Austin compared the
head to what is known of other tsantas. Again her answer was: yes.
Jivaro tsantas were made
after a Jivaro warrior decapitated his victim. The skin would be cut up
the back and the skull removed. The skin from the head would then be
cooked in a boiling bath of herbs. Afterwards, the cut made in the skin,
the eyes, and the mouth would then be sewn together. Finally, hot rocks
and sand would be packed inside to dry the skin and cause it to
shrink.
