Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-04-06
HUMAN TROPHY Fur MUSEUM
Smoke. Dried Head of Brazilian
Indian Secured in 1877.
First Owner Was Indians Prisoner for
Several Years and Near Death
Many Times Before Es-
Gaping.

Dr. C. Hart Merriam. of Washington,
n. c., has just presented the l.. s. ma
tional museum with a smokc-dried head
of Brazilian Indian secured on the
headwaters of the Tapaios in 1877 or 1873.
This grewsome object is one of the few
specimens in this country of these rare
human trophies collected and prepared by
the Parentintin tribe of the Tapajos riv
er In Para, Brazil
1t Is the head of another tribcsman,
killed and preserved by the Parentintins;
the dried skin is yellow and stretched
tightly over the skull; the black hair
hangs loose in bobbcd style; the eyes
are covered by wax cones ornamented
by two small rodents teeth to initiate
the pupils of the eyes, and the ears are
still decorated with the cord insertions
and tufts of red and yellow parrot fcath-
crs worn by the Indian in life. Original
ly, when used as a trophy. it was sus-
pended by cord, which still cmergos
from the mouth. but now it is ARRANGED
on stand and may be examined in the
museum to-day.
Unlike the better known ,IiharCs of the
upper Amazon. who preserve the heads
OF their enemies by removing the skull
bones, and shrinking and drying the skin
until the head is much reduced in size
the Parentintins leave the head in its
normal form. They first remove the
'lain, then smoke the head by use of
all aromatic wood until it is thoroughly
cried, and hang it up to decorate their
horses
DR. Merriam says that about 10 years
ago while he was in New Norli city, Mr..
Ernest T. Morris, a young South Amcri
can explorer, came to him with this head
and several others which he desired u
dispose of as soon rs possible, being bad
ly in need of funds. In relating his
experiences, Mr. Morris stated that while
he was travelling near the headwaters of
the Tapajos river he was captured by
the Indians and kept prisoner for several
years.
In attempting to make their captive in
to an Indian like themselves, they tat
tooed his cheeks and lower Jaw with ma
tive pigments, which he found he could
not remove. For a long time he was In
fear for his life, as they threatened to
Kill him for his head, SO To speak which
they would have hung from the lodge
poles as trophy. But for some reason
he was spared, although he mentioned
one instance when an Indian with whom
he was talking was shot by an arrow
and killed-his head going into the col
lection. After two or three years of i'm
prisonment his captors became IA little
lax in their watch, and one night in
lSI-1S Morris managed 70 escape in a
small boat. He took eight of the trophy
heads with him, knowing that they would
be valuable objects to museums of this
country. BY travelling only in the night
and hiding in the day, he succeeded in
descending the Tapajos river and reach
ing the Amazon, and finally the city Of
Para where he secured passage to New
York.
Arriving in that great metropolis he
found himself stranded financially. with
nothing but his ghastly heads as assets
and at the same time much embarrassed
by the very noticeable tatooing with
which his Indian captors had decorated
hi; face. Unfortunately, he could not
raise "A beard, and he would not appear
in public as he was Finding that DR..
Merriam was in the city, and knowing
him to be a scientist, he decided to an
proach him in an endeavor to raise mon
~ on the heads. DR.. Merriam SAYS that
the found no difficulty in doing so; the
American museum of natural history TAX
Ing two and himself one-he does not re
member where the others went but re-
calls that all Of them were sold at $500
each, netting the explorer about 1900.
With the receipt of the money Morris
spirits rose again, but having no place
where he could seek seclusion from the
public eye. he Immediately embarked o.,
another trip to South America and as
FAR as DIR. Merriam knows has never
been heard from since.