Shrunken heads...
I'm so bored... so here's the procedure of making a shrunken head XDDD
First off, the Amazonian shrinker involved would take the intended shrinkee and cut his or her head off, close to the chest, leaving as much neck as possible. Then a stick would be rammed into the head's mouth and out through the severed neck, making a useful handle, so that the chopper might be able to carry several heads at once. (Does Martha Stewart know about this one?) Once the head was brought back to camp, a long incision would be made from the back of the neck to nearly the crown of the head. The flesh of the head was then separated from the skull. This was pretty easy to do at the back of the head, but you had to be careful around the features of the face or you might warp or stretch them. Therefore, the head shrinker gently worked them loose from the skull with his fingers.
The skull and jawbone got tossed away (although I'm sure Martha would think of some useful purpose for them) and the eyes were sewn shut. The mouth was held closed with thin palm skewers. Then the scalp and face were thrown into a pot of boiling water for two hours. After being removed and cooled, the incision at the back of the head was sewn shut to make a kind of a bag, open at the neck. Large, heated stones were placed into the headbag, and the heat caused the tissues to shrink. The big stones would be removed and smaller ones put in as the head contracted. Finally, it was filled with hot sand, which brought it down to about the size of an orange.
Now it's time for a makeover. The eyebrows and eyelashes would be plucked and trimmed to stay proportionate with the size of the head. Then the head would be smoked overnight in a fire, making it hard and leathery. The artiste would make a few final adjustments to the nose and mouth to make them look just so, and the head would be painted to look all pretty.
First off, the Amazonian shrinker involved would take the intended shrinkee and cut his or her head off, close to the chest, leaving as much neck as possible. Then a stick would be rammed into the head's mouth and out through the severed neck, making a useful handle, so that the chopper might be able to carry several heads at once. (Does Martha Stewart know about this one?) Once the head was brought back to camp, a long incision would be made from the back of the neck to nearly the crown of the head. The flesh of the head was then separated from the skull. This was pretty easy to do at the back of the head, but you had to be careful around the features of the face or you might warp or stretch them. Therefore, the head shrinker gently worked them loose from the skull with his fingers.
The skull and jawbone got tossed away (although I'm sure Martha would think of some useful purpose for them) and the eyes were sewn shut. The mouth was held closed with thin palm skewers. Then the scalp and face were thrown into a pot of boiling water for two hours. After being removed and cooled, the incision at the back of the head was sewn shut to make a kind of a bag, open at the neck. Large, heated stones were placed into the headbag, and the heat caused the tissues to shrink. The big stones would be removed and smaller ones put in as the head contracted. Finally, it was filled with hot sand, which brought it down to about the size of an orange.
Now it's time for a makeover. The eyebrows and eyelashes would be plucked and trimmed to stay proportionate with the size of the head. Then the head would be smoked overnight in a fire, making it hard and leathery. The artiste would make a few final adjustments to the nose and mouth to make them look just so, and the head would be painted to look all pretty.