Human trophy collecting
Encyclopedia
The practice of human trophy collecting involves the acquisition of human remains. The intent may be to demonstrate dominance over the deceased, such as scalp-taking or forming necklaces of human ears or teeth, or to commemorate the deceased, such as the veneration of the relics of saints. It can be done to prove ones success in battle, or to show off one's power to others. Murderers' collection of their victims' body parts have also been described as a form of trophy-taking; the FBI draws a distinction between souvenirs and trophies in this regard.
While older customs generally included the burial of human war trophies along with the collector, such items have been sold in modern times.
.
Headhunting
has been practiced across the Americas, Europe, Asian, and Oceania for millennia. The practice continued up until the 20th century in the Balkans, and occurred on a smaller scale during World War II
and the Vietnam War
. About 60% of the bodies of Japanese soldiers recovered in the Mariana Islands
and returned to Japan lacked skulls. One analysis of the practice in early North American societies linked it to social distance
from the victim.
may sometimes be conducted in order to retain a body part as a trophy.
While older customs generally included the burial of human war trophies along with the collector, such items have been sold in modern times.
Trophies of dominance
Groups such as the Scythians collected the skulls of the vanquished to make a skull cupSkull cup
A skull cup is a drinking vessel or eating bowl made from an inverted human calvaria that has been cut away from the rest of the skull. The use of a human skull as a drinking cup in ritual use or as a trophy is reported in numerous sources throughout history and among various peoples, and among...
.
Headhunting
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
has been practiced across the Americas, Europe, Asian, and Oceania for millennia. The practice continued up until the 20th century in the Balkans, and occurred on a smaller scale during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. About 60% of the bodies of Japanese soldiers recovered in the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
and returned to Japan lacked skulls. One analysis of the practice in early North American societies linked it to social distance
Social distance
Social distance describes the distance between different groups of society and is opposed to locational distance. The notion includes all differences such as social class, race/ethnicity or sexuality, but also the fact that the different groups do not mix...
from the victim.
Trophies of commemoration
- The AghoriAghoriThe Aghori or Aghora are a Hindu sect believed to have split off from the Kapalika order in the fourteenth century AD. Many mainstream Hindus condemn them as non-Hindu because of their taboo violation of orthodox practices...
Hindu sect in India collects human remains which have been consecrated to the Ganges riverGanges RiverThe Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
, making skull cups, or using the corpses as meditation tools. - Tibetan Buddhists employ the kanglingKanglingKangling is the Tibetan word for a trumpet or horn made out of a human thighbone, used in Himalayan Buddhist funeral rituals. The femur of a criminal or a person who died a violent death is preferred....
, a trumpet made from a human thighbone
Body-snatching
Body-snatchingBody-snatching
Body snatching is the secret disinterment of corpses from graveyards. A common purpose of body snatching is to sell the corpses for dissection or anatomy lectures in medical schools...
may sometimes be conducted in order to retain a body part as a trophy.
See also
- American mutilation of Japanese war deadAmerican mutilation of Japanese war deadDuring World War II, some United States military personnel mutilated dead Japanese service personnel in the Pacific theater of operations. The mutilation of Japanese service personnel included the taking of body parts as “war souvenirs” and “war trophies”...
- Human trophy taking in MesoamericaHuman trophy taking in MesoamericaMost of the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica such as the Olmec, Maya, Mixtec, Zapotec and Aztec cultures practised some kind of taking of human trophies during warfare. Captives taken during war would often be taken to their captors' city-states where they would be ritually tortured and...
- HeadhuntingHeadhuntingHeadhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
- MokomokaiMokomokaiMokomokai are the preserved heads of Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, where the faces have been decorated by tā moko tattooing. They became valuable trade items during the Musket Wars of the early 19th century.-Moko:...
: the much-traded and much-collected preserved tattooed heads of New Zealand Maori - ScalpingScalpingScalping is the act of removing another person's scalp or a portion of their scalp, either from a dead body or from a living person. The initial purpose of scalping was to provide a trophy of battle or portable proof of a combatant's prowess in war...