The authenticity of a South American tsantsa is an important step in the global effort to decolonize and understand Indigenous history.
Today's findings were published in a high impact journal.
The tsantsa currently held in the collection at Chatham-Kent Museum in Chatham, Ont., is actually real human remains and not a fake made from animal body parts.
The first step in determining the authenticity of the subject is this.
A two-dimensional image of a body or body part can be created from a two-dimensionalCT Scan.
Lauren September Poeta is an Anishinaabe researcher and project associate in the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. The field of digital archaeology can be refreshed by making it less intrusive.
As the global community shifts its mindset towards Indigenous led repatriation of human remains, art and archeological artifacts currently held in public and private collections around the world, this novel scanning approach is a significant first step.
After it was purchased on a tour of the Amazon basin, the tsantsa was donated to the museum. It's not unusual for the tsantsa to be from "Peruvian Indians" in South America.
Tsantsas are rich in information about history, culture, rituals, and identity. Now that the tsantsa has been verified, researchers are able to work with representatives from the Shuar and Achuar Peoples of the Northeastern part of the country.
The focus for this study was on authenticity. Andrew Nelson is chair of the department of anthropology at Western.
The eyes and mouth were sewn shut so that tsantsas could be used to trap the soul inside the remains. The victor was believed to harness their spirit for service and prevent the soul from avenging the death of their fallen enemy.
"Tsantsas are a good representation of Indigenous history in South America but also the commercial legacy of shrunken heads highlights colonial networks around the world." Working towards decolonization is helped by being able to partner with local researchers in Ecuador.
Although Poeta, Nelson, and their partners obtained conclusive evidence that the tsantsa is human remains, they were not able to determine if the purpose of the head shrinking was ceremonial or commercial.
The team used high-resolution micro-CT scans to look at the eyes and ears. It was Nelson's hair.
"You can see the individual skin layers on the clinicalCT Scan, but on the micro-CT Scan you can actually see the individual follicles, and it becomes really clear what's going on."
The eyes and lips can only be looked at with a micro-CT Scan.
"If vine materials were used to seal the eyes and the lips, it would likely identify the tsantsa as ceremonial, but if a more modern, cheaper thread was used it is more indicative of commercial interests when it was being made."
The shrunken head construction will not be known until more tsantsas are examined.
"We always work respectfully with the subjects of our research, and we look forward to working with our Ecuadorian colleagues to guide any future work," said Poeta.
More information: Lauren September Poeta et al, Correlative tomography and authentication features of a shrunken head (tsantsa), PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270305 Journal information: PLoS ONE
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