Trapped Spirit of the Warrior

Specimen Name: Shuar Chief Shrunken Head

Date & Location: March 3, 1925 — Upper Amazon Basin, Ecuador

Field Journal Entry:

Today I acquired a remarkable and unsettling specimen — the preserved shrunken head of a Shuar chief. The head is no larger than a clenched fist, the skin dark and leathery, stretched taut over the skull. Its eyes and mouth have been sewn shut with fine cord, and its long hair remains glossy and intact despite the years.

Local shamans claimed it houses the spirit of the fallen warrior, bound to the head through ritual. They warned me solemnly: to mishandle or desecrate it is to invite his wrath upon oneself. Even as I held it, I felt a faint warmth beneath the surface — whether trick of the imagination or something more, I cannot say.

The head sits upon a woven ceremonial base, adorned with a necklace of what appear to be human teeth and small carved stones. Bones pierce the nose and lips, and the expression frozen upon the face is one of eerie calm, as though it still watches me even now.

I cannot escape the feeling that it resents being disturbed.

Notes & Sketches:

Eyes & Mouth: sewn tightly shut to trap the spirit within.
Hair: long, black, preserved in remarkable condition.
Ornaments: nose bones, tribal jewelry, human teeth, and carved stones.
Size: approximately 4 inches (10 cm) in height.
Texture: leathery, warm to the touch, faintly pliant.

Caution:

Treat with utmost respect. Do not break the stitches or remove ornaments — local belief holds that such acts release the spirit to seek vengeance.