Some of my readers have been questioning me about my obsession with some things considered macabre. I’ve done articles on human experimentation, cannibalism, and human sacrifice. While, it might seem like I have affinity for horrific practices, actually the opposite is true. I researched them in hopes of disproving their existence or at the very least trying to prove that they weren’t prevalent. Unfortunately, I haven’t always been able to do that.
My most recent subject of research is headhunting. No, I’m not talking about employment companies that seek to match professionals with companies in need of their services. I’m talking about the kind you occasionally see in movies; usually ones about Africa, Southern, or Central America. I’d always hoped that such stories were totally fictional in nature. But, once again, I was dead wrong.
What really surprised me, however, is that headhunting was not limited to primative tribes hidden within deep woods in little known backward companies. As it turns out, the act of headhunting has been practiced by many cultures in countries like China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and more.
As much as I hate to admit it, there were headhunters in the country of one of my ancestors. I’ll admit that was a little piece of information that I think I could have done without. Ancient Celts were always at war with one group of another over their land. But it was their battle with primitive Germanic tribes and the subsequent intervention by the Roman government that brought about a little known practice of head-hunting among some Celtic tribes.
What the Celts’ enemies did not understand was that some Celtic tribes thought that the human soul resided inside the human head. This belief stemmed from the fact that they drew a connection between the brain and the soul. Because of this belief, it wasn’t uncommon for members of these tribes to take the heads of their enemies in hopes of capturing their very soul before it had time to escape the body.
The Celts’ Roman overseers actually enjoyed the practice because it allowed them to determine how many of their enemies paid mercenaries had killed on their behalf. Some Roman generals, in fact, paid their hired assassins according to the number of heads collected.
There have also been similar claims made against the Norse, however, I was unable to validate those through my initial research. Therefore, I’ve chosen to dismiss unsubstantiated information. And, if you believe some of the claims made against Vlad the Impaler of Romania, headhunting was also practiced in a limited form in ancient Europe.
Of course, North America must recognize a similar tradition among many of its Native American tribes. Many Indian warriors felt it was not only acceptable but also expected for them to take the scalps of their enemies. Much as the Romans paid Celtic bounty hunters for the heads of their enemies, the British paid Native American warriors for the scalps of those they had managed to kill in battle.
However, it is true that the bulk of headhunting practices were practiced among African, Southern, and Central America. Some also practiced the art of head shrinking; however, not all headhunting tribes participated in both.
The Jivaro of Ecuador and Peru practiced both headhunting and head shrinking. This native clan was divided into four tribes which included the Aguaruna, Ashar, Huambisa, and Shuar. They were extremely warlike and well trained in combat. Known for their unwillingness to comprise, they are believed to be the only native group to successfully thwart the attempts of both Spain and the Incas to conquer them.
It was the pure hatred of their enemies that many believe spurred them on in their practice of headhunting and head shrinking. To them it wasn’t enough to kill their enemy, they also needed to degrade them in the most horrendous fashion possible. They believed that taking the head and shrinking it would paralyze the spirit of their enemy preventing their soul from moving on to the afterlife.
In New Guinea, a primitive tribe known as the Maprik continued to practice both head hunting and cannibalism well into the last century. Studies of the tribe seemed to suggest that it existed for no other reason than to make war on its enemies to enjoy the victory of preserving their heads and dining on their flesh.
In truth, however, their reason may have very well made sense to them. Some believe that the Maprik were simply practicing the only method they knew to ward off enemies who might seek to enter and lay claim to the land that they felt was rightfully so. By capturing and shrinking the heads of previous interlopers and displaying them in plain sign, it sent a clear message to would-be land thieves what fate might lie in store for them.
Head-hunting also continued in Borneo until just before World War II and the United States wasn’t able to eliminate the last remnants of head-hunting in the Philippines until the mid 30’s. Descendants of the Maori tribe of New Zealand are trying to reclaim the heads of ancestors that are being displayed in museums. Around the same time period, the Japanese put an end to the practice in Taiwan
Some anthropologists believe that head hunting might have even been more prevalent than has yet been discovered. It will be interesting to see what new archaeological digs and anthropological studies continue to unearth.
In the mean time, I prefer to think – – and wish for – – the best. Despite what my research has unearthed recently about man’s innate cruelty, I’ll continue to hold out hope that we can learn from our mistakes.
