Today open from 11 to 18
6
Sensitive object: Ancestral Remain
Americas, showcase 28
Tsantsa shrunken head
Ecuador or Peru
Shuar? Achuar? Early 20th century
Human skin, hair, feather, plant fibre, cotton
Acquired in 1956
MEG Inv. ETHAM 057203
Carine Ayélé Durand, Director of MEG
The shrunken heads or tsantsa of the Shuar and Achuar people (formerly known as "Jivaros") were made to capture the vengeful soul of killed enemy warriors. Today they are increasingly valorized both by the peoples who created them as well as museums which hold them. Increasing dialogue around tsantsa makes it possible to learn more about the fascination with possessing and exhibiting human remains, which for so long characterized collectors and museums. The tsantsa formerly displayed here was removed due to the absence of any official consent from the Shuar people allowing it to be exhibited.
Removed in 2020.
