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before I go into this piece in particular let's talk a little about their purpose, their manufacture, and the history associated with them
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a tsantsa, or shrunken head, is a religious ceremonial object crafted by the jivaro people of equador, specifically those tribes inhabiting the headwaters of the marañon river
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after decapitation, the skull is removed from the interior of the head, the empty skin of which is then turned inside out and scraped with a flint or obsidian knife to remove as much fat and subcutaneous tissue as possible
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the process is repeated for up to two weeks until the skin is sufficiently small
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once this process is complete the eyes, neck, mouth and ears are stitched shut with woven plant fiber
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within a decade warfare between tribes and the theft of bodies had increased to produce heads for trade
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the demand drove a trade in counterfeit heads that produced the majority of the specimens we see today
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