KARSTEN] BLOOD REVENGE, WAR, AND VICTORY FEAS'l-S 31 



Probably the object of this treatment is only to mortify the soul of 

 the killed enemy, attached to the scalp, and to keep it at bay. This 

 explanation is made more probable by the fact that the ceremony 

 "with the three stones is repeated later, at the great feast, and ob- 

 viously without practical aim. 



The proper reduction of the trophy is brought about by means of 

 hot sand. Some fine sand is taken from the river bank and heated 

 at the fire in a piece of broken clay pot (hakdchi). When the sand 

 is sufficiently hot it is poured into the head so as to more than lialf fill 

 it. The head is kept in motion so that the sand acts uniformly upon 

 all its parts. The object of this procedure is to remove the flesh still 

 attached to the skin, to make the scalp thinner, and to reduce the 

 whole trophy. This is attained by the procedure with the hot sand 

 being repeated many times. As soon as the sand has cooled it is 

 taken out of the head, reheated at the fire in the broken clay pot, anfl 

 again poured into the head. Each time, after taking out the sand 

 from the head, tlie scalp is scraped inside with a knife in order to re- 

 move from it what the sand has burned off. As the trophy dries and 

 shrinks through this treatment the head, and especially the face, is 

 cleverly molded with the fingers, so that it retains its human features, 

 becoming like the head of a small dwarf. This work is continued 

 during the whole return from the war, eventually even at home, con- 

 sequently during several days or even weeks, the same sand and the 

 same broken clay vessel being alwaj^s used. These things are always 

 kept and carried on the march by the first slayer, whose duty it is, as 

 soon as the party arrives at a camping place, to collocate the clay pot 

 on the fire and heat sand for the molding of the trophy. 



It is considered necessary that the sand shall be heated in an old 

 broken clay pot. An entire clay vessel, or a piece of a quite new clay 

 vessel, would not do. 



By this treatment the Jibaros are able to gradually reduce the 

 head to such an extent that it is no larger than an orange, or about 

 one-fourth of its normal size, becoming at the same time completely 

 hard and dry. Through both lips, shrunk in proportion to the rest 

 of the head, three small chonta pins, about 5 centimeters in length 

 and painted red with achiote, are passed parallel with each other, 

 and around these pins a fine cotton string, which is also painted red. 

 is wound. At the great feast both the chonta pins and the cotton 

 string are removed and replaced by three twined and red-painted 

 cotton strings. Lastly the whole trophy, even the face, is dyed 

 black with charcoal (pi. 6). 



During the whole work particular attention has been paid to the 

 hair, which is the most essential part of the trophy. Among the 

 Jibaros the men as a rule wear their hair much longer than the 

 women, and tsantsas with hair half a meter or more long are there- 



