This Just In – Shrunken Head UP FOR AUCTION!

This conundrum has been resolved at last through the marvels of not-so modern miniaturization. Behold a shrunken head. I would have appreciated if the photo included an iPod, y’know just to give a frame of reference. I mean those things are really tiny!

Seriously though, let me risk tipping the outrage-o-meter with a few comments. If I understand correctly, the shrinking of heads in its original context isn’t really that much more bizarre than mummification, embalming, cremation or any of the other practices we human do with our dead. It gets weird, in my opinion, when these grisly little whatnots become the objects of trade. Yup, safari souvenirs. I gather frequently the standard price was one gun for one head, which would have made it significantly easier to acquire more heads. Societal corruption ensued; life out of balance; dogs and cats, living together. The moral of this cautionary tale, as far as I can tell that just because someone wants to buy something you have, you don’t necessarily have to sell it.

And the other lesson is caveat emptor. Just because someone sold you a real shrunken head, it doesn’t necessarily mean it started out as a real human head. The one for sale – sorry to burst any illusions – likely belonged to a monkey. Similarly most “authentic tribal” masks and fetishes, supposedly powerful items actually used in ceremonies ominous and terrifying are actually interesting bits made specifically for the tourist trade. They might be “primitives” but they’re no fools.

As much as I’d love to have something in my curio cabinet that would disgust and offend my neighbors, I’m afraid I won’t be bidding on this particular item.

http://www.rbantiques.com/AC4269.htm