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Tsantsa (Shrunken Heads)

"Tsantsa" is the name for traditional shrunken head talismans in the languages of the Shuar, Achuar, and other Jivaroan tribes of the Ecuadorian and Peruvian rainforest. These mummified heads were used for ritual purposes in ancient times. This practice is no longer followed by Jivaro people today. The word tsantsa is a Shuar word pronounced tsahn-tsah (with the "ts" similar to the "ts" in "tsunami,") but the English pronunciation is usually closer to chahn-chah.

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Tsantsa Resources

Here are links to some online resources about Tsantsa head-shrinking:
Tsantsa Head Shrinkers
The Shrunken Heads of Jivaro
Tsantsa Shrunken Heads
Tsantsas: How Shrunken Heads Work

Here are links to our webpages about the Jivaro tribes and languages:
Achuar
Shuar
Jivaro
Achuar culture
Amazonian Indian languages
Jivaro language family

Books about Tsantsas

Here are a few good books about Tsantsas and the Jivaro tribes:
Shrunken Heads: Tsantsa Trophies and Human Exotica
Jivaro: Head-Hunters Of The Amazon
The Jivaro: People of the Sacred Waterfalls

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