Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-05-10

SMOKED DRIED HEADS
MAKE CUTE TROPHIES


Washington. d. C.-Dr. c. Hart Mer-
riam. of this city, has just presented
the United States national museum
with a smoke dried head of a Brazilian
Indian secured on the headwaters OF
the Tapajos river in 1877 or 1873.
This grewsome object is one of the
few specimens in this country of these
rare human trophies collected and pre-
pared by the Paren,intin tribe OF the
Tapajos river in Para. Brazil.
II is the head of another tribesman,
killed and preserved by the Parentin-
tins, the dried skin is yellow and
and stretched tightly over the skull:
the black hair hangs loose in bobbed
style: The eyes are covered by wax
cones ornamented by two small ro-
dents 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 feathers worn by
the Indian in life. Originally, when
used as d trophy. it was suspended by
a cord, which still energies from the
mouth, but now it is arranged on a
stand and may be examined in the
museum today.
Unlike the better known Jibaros 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 re-
duced in size. the Parentintins leave
the head in its normal form. They
first remove the brain, then smoke the
head by use of an aromatic wood until
it is thoroughly dried, and hang it up
to decorate their houses.
DR.. Merriam says that about 40 years
ago While he was in New York city,
Mr.. Ernest I. Morris. a young South
American explorer, came to him with
this head and several others which he
desired to dispose of as good as pos
sible. being badly in need Of funds In
relating his experiences, Mr.. Morris
stated that while he was travelling
near the headquarters OF the Tapajos
river he was captured by the Indians
and kept prisoner for several years.
In attempting to make their captive
into an Indian like themselves. they
tattooed his cheeks and lower law with
native pigments, which he found he
could not remove For q 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 a trophy. Blu
for some reason he was spared. al
though he mentioned one instance
when an Indian with whom he was
talking was shot by an arrow and
kllled-his head going into the collec-
ton. After two or three years of inn
prisonment his captors became a little
lax in their watch. and one night in
1S77-7S. Morris managed to escape in
a small boat. He tool eight Of the
trophy heads with h;m. knowing that
they would he valuable objects to mu-
seuins of this country. BY travelling
only in the night and hiding in the day.
he succeeded in descending the Tapa-
JOS river and reaching the Amazon, and
finally the city OF Para where he Sc
cured passage to New York.
Arriving in that great metropolis he
found himself stranded financially.
with nothing but his ghastly heads as
assets. and al the game time much en-
harrassed by the very noticeable tat
.ooing with which his Indian captors
had decorated his face. Unfortunately,
he could not raise a beard, and he
would not appear in .M.blic as hi was.
finding that DR.. Merriam was in the
city. and knowing him to be a scien-
fist, he decided to approach him in an
e%ndeavor to raise some money on the
heads. DIR. Merriam says that they
found no difficulty in doing so: the
American Museum of Natural History
taking two and himself one-he does
not remember where the others went,
but recalls that all of them were sold
at $500 each, netting the explorer
about $500.
With the receipt Of the money Nor
ris' spirits rose again, but having no
place where he could seek seclusion
from the public eye, he Immediately
embarked on another trip to South
America, and as far as DR.. Merriam
knows has never been heard from
since