The genetic signature of a shrunken head |
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| Authors: | Dalia Hermon Ron Gafny Ashira Zamir Lia Hadas Marina Faerman Gila Kahila Bar-Gal |
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| Institution: | (1) DNA and Forensic Biology Laboratory, Division of Identification and Forensic Science (DIFS), Israel Police, National H.Q., Jerusalem, Israel;(2) DNA Database Laboratory, Division of Identification and Forensic Science (DIFS), Israel Police, National H.Q., Jerusalem, Israel;(3) The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 76100 Rehovot, Israel;(4) Laboratory of Biological Anthropology and Ancient DNA, Faculty of Dental Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel; |
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| Abstract: | The making of ritual shrunken heads, or tsantsas, was a common practice among the Jivaro-Shuar tribes of Ecuador and Peru during the post-Columbian period. The raising interest
in the tsantsas in the late nineteenth through the twentieth century caused an increase in manufacturing of forged shrunken heads for profit.
In the current study, we examined the authenticity and possible cultural provenance of the shrunken head displayed at the
“Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv” using macro- and microscopic criteria together with DNA analyses. DNA analyses have revealed
that the shrunken head represents a human male individual with a genetic profile compatible with an African ancestry and resembling
that of modern South American populations. |
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