30 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bdll. 79 



whicli certain magical virtues are ascribed. The warrior who cuts 

 off the head now seats himself on this " seat " and receives juice of 

 tobacco mixed with saliva from the chief, who blows it in through 

 his nose. Then another of the slayers takes his seat on the head and 

 receives juice of tobacco through the nose, etc., until all have par- 

 taken. This is the first of a series of ceremonies which have for their 

 object the protection of the slayers against the revengeful spirit of 

 the killed enemy. 



The Uantsa is now prepared in the following way : Along the back 

 side of the head, from the apex downward, a long cut is made with a 

 knife, wdiereupon the scalp and the skin of the face is slowly and care- 

 fully drawn off from the skull, in much the same way as is done with 

 the hides of animals for stuffing. The skinning of the face is said to 

 be the most difficult part of this work, for here the skin does not 

 loosen by merely drawing it off, but has to be cut from the flesh with 

 a sharp knife. The skull and all fleshy parts that adhere to it are 

 thrown away and the scalp obtained is further prepared. It is at- 

 tached to a vine and immersed in a pot of boiling water, where it is 

 left for a while. By boiling the scalp it is freed from microbes, con- 

 tracts a little, and gets more consistence. It is then taken out of the 

 pot and put on the top of a stick, fixed in the ground, where it is left 

 for a while until it has cooled. 



A ring is formed of a vine which the Jibaros call cdpi^ of the same 

 size as the circumference of the ready-made tsantsa at the neck open- 

 ing, and this ring is attached to the trophy, at first provisionally, 

 and later, in the same degree as the latter assumes its final size through 

 reduction, more firmly. By means of a needle and a thread consist- 

 ing of a chambira fiber, that part of the scalp which, for the purpose 

 of the skinning of the head, had been cut open, is sewn together. 



The reduction of the trophy now should begin. What at first is 

 done with it, however, rather has the character of some sort of magi- 

 cal ceremon}'. At the bank of the river three small round stones 

 are looked for, which are heated at the fire. By means of a cleft 

 stick one of the heated stones is taken up from the fire and put into 

 the head through the opening at the neck. Tlrs is done by the first 

 slayer (he who cuts off the head of the enemy), whose hand is held 

 by the chief or an old warrior. The head is kept in motion so that 

 the heated stone rolls to and fro within it, burning oft' a part of the 

 blood and flesh which is still attached to the scalp. The stone is 

 subsequently taken out and again put in the fire. The same proced- 

 ure is repeated with the second stone, and lastly with the th'.rd stone. 

 The stones used are each time put back on the fire, where they are 

 left. 



Since a similar procedure is afterwards undertaken with heated 

 sand, the use of the three small stones seems somewhat superfluous. 



