TROPHIES. 43 



the basalt figure of a priest (or idol) clothed in a human 

 skin; and additional evidence is yielded by a custom in 

 the neighbouring state of Yucatan, where &quot; the bodies were 

 thrown down the steps, flayed, the priest put on the skins, 

 and danced, and the body was buried in the yard of the 

 temple. &quot; 



Usually, however, the skin-trophy is relatively small : the 

 requirement being simply that it shall be one of which the 

 body yields no duplicate. The origin of it is well shown by 

 the following description of a practice among the Abipones. 

 They preserve the heads of enemies, and 



11 When apprehension of approaching hostilities obliges them to 

 remove to places of greater security, they strip the heads of the skin, 

 cutting it from ear to ear beneath the nose, and dexterously pulling it 

 off along with the hair. . . . That Abipon who has most of these 

 skins at home, excels the rest in military renown.&quot; 

 Evidently, however, the whole skin is not needful to prove 

 previous possession of a head. The part covering the 

 crown, distinguished from other parts by the arrangement 

 of its hairs, serves the purpose. Hence is suggested scalp 

 ing. Tales of Indian life have so far familiarized us with 

 this custom that examples are needless. But one piece of 

 evidence, supplied by the Shoshones, may be named; be 

 cause it clearly shows the use of the trophy as an accepted 

 evidence of victory a kind of legal proof regarded as alone 

 conclusive. We read that 



&quot;Taking an enemy s scalp is an honour quite independent of the 

 act of vanquishing him. To kill your adversary is of no importance 

 unless the scalp is brought from the field of battle, and were a war 

 rior to slay any number of his enemies in action, and others were to 

 obtain the scalps, or first touch the dead, they would have all the 

 honours, since they have borne off the trophy.&quot; 

 Though we usually think of scalp-taking in connexion with 

 the North American Indians, yet it is not restricted to them. 

 Herodotus describes the Scythians as scalping their con 

 quered enemies; and at the present time the Nagas of the 

 Indian hills take scalps and preserve them. 



