Original subtitles

SHRUNKEN HEADS.

WHAT ARE THESE MACABRE CURIOSITIES?

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

HOW WERE THEY MADE?

NOW SCIENTISTS ARE USING

ADVANCED FORENSIC TECHNOLOGY AND DNA ANALYSIS

TO FIND OUT WHO THESE PEOPLE REALLY WERE.

THE DNA ANALYSIS HAS REVEALED

THAT THEY WERE DEFINITELY FROM THE SAME FAMILY,

AND THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN BROTHERS.

ANTHROPOLOGISTS ARE DISCOVERING

THE SCIENCE OF HEAD-SHRINKING...

THE ABILITY TO PRESERVE A HEAD FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS

IS REALLY QUITE INCREDIBLE.

...AND PUTTING THEIR RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.

RIGHT NOW, I'M ACTUALLY REMOVING

THE SKIN FROM THE SKULL,

BECAUSE THAT'S THE FIRST STAGE OF HEAD-SHRINKING.

THEY'RE UNCOVERING A DARK TALE OF ANCIENT RITUAL

AND VICTORIAN OBSESSION...

EXPLORATION AND EXPLOITATION...

FORGERY AND MURDER...

TO REVEAL THE SECRETS OF SHRUNKEN HEADS.

THE RELICS OF THE PAST HOLD SECRETS...

WRITTEN IN GOLD, STONE AND BLOOD.

WE CAN UNLOCK THEM.

THESE ARE THE SECRETS OF HISTORY'S GREATEST TREASURES.

IN THE 19th CENTURY

A GRUESOME CURIOSITY CAPTURED THE PUBLIC IMAGINATION

AND CREATED AN OBSESSION

DECAPITATED HUMAN HEADS,

SHRUNK TO A FRACTION OF THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE.

Lindsey Fitzharris: SHRUNKEN HEADS WERE SOUGHT AFTER

BECAUSE THEY WERE REALLY RARE, THEY WERE REALLY MACABRE.

THEY WERE SO FAR REMOVED FROM OUR OWN CULTURE

AND THEREFORE THEY WERE THE HEIGHT OF THE TROPHY

IN THE ODDITY COLLECTION FOR A 19th CENTURY COLLECTOR.

Tobias Houlton: SHRUNKEN HEADS HAVE LONG BEEN VIEWED

AS ALMOST LIKE FREAK SHOW ORNAMENTS

THAT WOULD BE PUT IN DISPLAYS

OR IN EVEN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS FOR PEOPLE TO STARE AT,

WITHOUT ANYONE REALLY ACKNOWLEDGING

THAT THIS WAS ONCE A LIVING, BREATHING INDIVIDUAL.

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF SHRUNKEN HEADS

IN MUSEUMS AROUND THE WORLD--

SOME ON DISPLAY, OTHERS LOCKED AWAY.

AND THE SHOCKING TRUTH IS, MOST OF THESE ARE REAL HUMAN HEADS.

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? HOW WERE THEY MADE?

AND WHAT'S THE TRUE STORY

BEHIND THIS STRANGE AND DISTURBING PHENOMENON?

NOW SCIENTISTS CAN FINALLY ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

USING DNA, FORENSIC SCIENCE AND ADVANCED COMPUTER MODELING.

AMONG THEM IS DR. TOBIAS HOULTON,

AN ANTHROPOLOGIST SPECIALIZING IN FACIAL ANATOMY.

THE INTENTION OF OUR FORENSIC INVESTIGATION

IS THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY DISCOVER THE IDENTITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL,

THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE SO-CALLED SPECIMEN

THAT'S HIDDEN BEHIND A GLASS CABINET,

BUT ACTUALLY A LIVING, BREATHING PERSON THAT ONCE EXISTED.

WHO ARE THEY?

WHERE DID THEY RESIDE?

AND HOW DID THEY LAND UP AS A SHRUNKEN HEAD?

THE STORY BEGINS DEEP IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST...

AND WITH A SINGLE TRIBE, THE SHUAR.

THE TRIBE'S ANCESTRAL HOMELAND

LIES AMONGST THE TRIBUTARIES OF THE AMAZON RIVER,

IN THE REMOTE JUNGLE OF ECUADOR.

WITH A REPUTATION AS FEARSOME WARRIORS,

THE SHUAR WERE THE ONLY SOUTH AMERICAN INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

NEVER TO HAVE BEEN CONQUERED BY THE SPANISH EMPIRE.

OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS

THEY MASTERED THE MACABRE ART OF HEAD-SHRINKING

BEFORE IT WAS BANNED IN THE 1960s.

THE SHUAR CALL THESE SHRUNKEN HEADS "TSANTSA."

FELIPE TSENKUSH IS A FORMER PRESIDENT

OF THE SHUAR FEDERATION.

THESE WEREN'T TROPHIES OF WAR.

THEY WERE MORE THAN SIMPLY SYMBOLIC.

IN A WORLD IN WHICH THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD

WERE AS REAL AS THE LIVING,

SHRUNKEN HEADS SERVED AN IMPORTANT PRACTICAL PURPOSE.

IT WAS NOT ABOUT THE PHYSICAL ITEM;

IT FILLED PURELY A PRACTICAL, SPIRITUAL FUNCTION.

AT PHILADELPHIA'S MUTTER MUSEUM,

CURATOR AND FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST ANNA DHODY

STUDIES TSANTSA AND THE SHUAR BELIEF SYSTEM.

Anna Dhody: THE SHUAR BELIEVE IN SPIRITS.

THEY BELIEVED THAT THE ENEMY, THE SPIRIT OF THEIR ENEMY,

COULD STILL HARM THEM EVEN AFTER DEATH,

AND THAT THEY HAD TO TAKE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES.

SO BY TAKING THE HEAD OF THEIR ENEMY

AND BY CREATING THESE VERY SPECIAL TSANTSAS,

THEY COULD ACTUALLY, EFFECTIVELY SEAL THE SPIRIT

OF THEIR DEFEATED ENEMY IN THE HEAD.

EACH GENUINE SHRUNKEN HEAD

SHARES THE SAME DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS--

CHARCOAL-DARKENED SKIN, SEALED EYES AND MOUTH.

THE CAREFUL AND DELIBERATE CLOSURE OF THE EYES AND MOUTH

PROVIDES A CLUE TO THE SHRUNKEN HEAD'S SPIRITUAL PURPOSE.

THE EYES CAN BE SEWN SHUT,

THE NOSE IS SOMETIMES PLUGGED SHUT,

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY IT'S THE MOUTH.

THE MOUTH IS EITHER PEGGED SHUT

WITH VERY SPECIFIC TYPES OF PEGS,

OR IT'S ACTUALLY SEWN SHUT.

AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT

BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SEAL THESE ORIFICES UP

SO THAT THE SOUL OR THE SPIRIT OF THE DEFEATED ENEMY

CANNOT ESCAPE.

THE HEAD WAS STRUNG ON A CORD

AND WORN BY THE MAN WHO HAD TAKEN IT.

THE KILLER GRADUALLY ABSORBED THE CAPTURED SOUL'S POWER.

WHEN THIS WAS COMPLETE, THE HEAD WAS THROWN AWAY.

SHRUNKEN HEADS WERE SACRED ITEMS,

BUT NOT PERMANENT ONES.

THE SHUAR WEREN'T REALLY INTERESTED

IN THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL HEAD.

THEY WERE INTERESTED IN THE PROCESS,

WHICH INVOLVED TRAPPING A VENGEFUL SOUL

AND USING THAT POWER TO BRING GOOD FORTUNE TO THEMSELVES.

AND ACTUALLY THE HEADS HAD A SHELF-LIFE

OF ONE TO TWO YEARS,

AFTER WHICH TIME THE SHUAR WOULD TYPICALLY THROW THE HEADS OUT.

BUT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SHRUNKEN HEADS

IN MUSEUMS AND COLLECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD.

SO WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

ARE THEY GENUINE SHUAR SHRUNKEN HEADS OR CLEVER FAKES?

MEDICAL HISTORIAN DR. LINDSEY FITZHARRIS

WANTS TO DISCOVER THEIR SECRETS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE,

WHEN THEY VISIT A MUSEUM AND THEY SEE A SHRUNKEN HEAD,

THE FIRST QUESTION THEY ASK IS "HOW WAS IT MADE?"

BUT VERY FEW PEOPLE ASK,

"HOW DID IT GET THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?"

FITZHARRIS BELIEVES THAT FINDING OUT

HOW AND WHY THESE PEOPLE ENDED UP IN MUSEUMS

WILL TAKE INVESTIGATORS A STEP CLOSER

TO DISCOVERING THEIR IDENTITY.

SHE'S TRAVELED TO THE STATE ETHNOLOGICAL MUSEUM

IN WARSAW, POLAND,

WHERE THE DNA OF SEVERAL SHRUNKEN HEADS

HAS BEEN ANALYZED.

MAGDELEINE GOJAIKO IS THE COLLECTION'S CURATOR.

SHE'S IDENTIFIED TWO HEADS THAT BEAR A STRIKING SIMILARITY.

Magdeleine Gojaiko: SO THE DNA ANALYSIS HAS REVEALED

THAT THEY WERE DEFINITELY FROM ECUADOR.

THEY WERE FROM THE SAME TRIBE

AND MOST PROBABLY FROM THE SAME FAMILY.

THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN BROTHERS

FIGHTING TOGETHER WITH A COMMON ENEMY

AND KILLED AT THE SAME TIME.

TRADITIONALLY, THE SHUAR

DISCARDED SHRUNKEN HEADS AFTER A YEAR.

BUT THE FACT THAT THESE TWO HEADS ARE HERE

IS A CLUE THAT SOMETHING CHANGED IN THE SHUAR'S JUNGLE HOMELAND.

AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE 19th CENTURY

SOMETHING STOPPED THE SHUAR FROM DISCARDING SHRUNKEN HEADS

AND CHANGED THEIR WORLD FOREVER.

SINCE THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF ECUADOR IN THE 16th CENTURY,

THE SHUAR HAD SUCCESSFULLY REPELLED INVADERS.

BUT IN THE 1840s, WESTERN EXPLORERS AND TRADERS

BEGAN TO PENETRATE THE SHUAR'S REMOTE TERRITORY.

THEY CAME IN SEARCH OF THE RUBBER TREE

THAT GROWS IN THE JUNGLE,

BUT THEY WERE CAPTIVATED BY THE SHUAR'S SHRUNKEN HEADS.

THESE TINY HUMAN HEADS

APPEALED TO THE MACABRE VICTORIAN MINDSET.

YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER

THAT THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT CULTURE FROM OURS.

THIS IS A TIME OF PUBLIC EXECUTIONS,

AND THIS IS A TIME WHEN THE CRIMINAL

WILL BE HANGED AND PUBLICLY DISSECTED

AND HIS SKIN WILL BE USED TO BIND A BOOK ABOUT HIS CRIME.

SO THE SHRUNKEN HEADS VERY MUCH FIT

INTO THAT MACABRE TRINKETS

THAT PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO GET THEIR HANDS ON.

THE STRANGER, THE WEIRDER,

THE BETTER FOR THEIR COLLECTIONS.

FROM THE MID-19th CENTURY ONWARDS,

THE SHUAR STOPPED DISCARDING THE HEADS

AND BEGAN TO SELL THEM TO TRAVELERS AND TRADERS.

THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE FATE OF THE TWO WARRIORS...

MADE AS GENUINE CEREMONIAL SHRUNKEN HEADS,

THEN SOLD ON TO TRADERS.

NEWS OF THESE GRUESOME CURIOS

BEGAN TO SPREAD ACROSS EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA.

COLLECTORS, SCIENTISTS, CIRCUS IMPRESARIOS

AND FREAK SHOW ENTERTAINERS ALL WANTED A SHRUNKEN HEAD.

PEOPLE IN THE 19th CENTURY

TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD AT THIS TIME

LOOKING FOR STRANGE AND UNUSUAL OBJECTS

FOR THEIR CURIOSITY CABINETS.

BY THE 1850s,

AN ANCIENT RITUAL HAD BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL TRADE.

IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A TERRIBLE NEW CHAPTER

IN THE LONG HISTORY OF THE SHUAR.

NO LONGER SIMPLY SELLING DISCARDED HEADS,

THE SHUAR BEGAN KILLING

TO SUPPLY THE WESTERN DEMAND FOR SHRUNKEN HEADS.

THEIR JUNGLE HOMELAND ERUPTED INTO BLOODSHED.

NOTHING WAS SACRED.

NOBODY WAS SAFE.

NOT EVEN THE DEAD.

SHRUNKEN HEADS.

MACABRE CURIOSITIES THAT WERE ONCE LIVING, BREATHING PEOPLE.

NOW SCIENTISTS ARE USING FORENSIC TECHNOLOGY AND DNA,

AND ANTHROPOLOGISTS ARE INVESTIGATING

THE CULTURE THAT MADE THEM,

TO REVEAL THE SECRETS OF SHRUNKEN HEADS.

IN WARSAW, POLAND,

MEDICAL HISTORIAN DR. LINDSEY FITZHARRIS

IS INVESTIGATING A COLLECTION OF HEADS

IN THE STATE ETHNOLOGICAL MUSEUM.

AND ONE HEAD HAS CAPTURED HER ATTENTION.

AS YOU CAN SEE, THE EAR IS A LOT DIFFERENT.

IT DOESN'T HAVE AS MANY DETAILS AS THEY HAVE.

IT DOESN'T RESEMBLE AS MUCH A HUMAN EAR.

THIS IS NOT A HUMAN HEAD.

IT'S A CLEVER FAKE, MADE OF ANIMAL HIDE

THAT WAS STRETCHED AND MOLDED TO APPEAR HUMAN.

SO WE CAN BE QUITE SURE

THAT IT'S MADE OF AN ANIMAL SKIN.

BUT THE SHUAR WERE HEAD SHRINKERS,

NOT LEATHER WORKERS.

SO IF THEY DIDN'T MAKE THIS HEAD, WHO DID?

IN THE MID-19th CENTURY,

THE AMAZON'S RUBBER TREES AND MINERAL RICHES

BROUGHT TRADERS, MINERS AND MISSIONARIES TO THE REGION.

SETTLEMENTS SPRUNG UP IN OR NEAR SHUAR TERRITORY.

THE FAKE HEAD SUGGESTS SOME OF THESE COLONIAL SETTLERS

WANTED A PIECE OF THE LUCRATIVE TRADE IN SHRUNKEN HEADS,

MAKING A FAST BUCK SELLING FAKE HEADS

TO EAGER TRADERS AND EXPLORERS.

A LOT OF COLLECTORS WERE BEING DUPED

AND PAYING A LOT OF MONEY

FOR ESSENTIALLY WHAT WAS A FAKE SHRUNKEN HEAD AT THIS TIME.

AND THEY WERE BEING SOLD, YOU KNOW, INCREDIBLE STORIES

THAT WERE ATTACHED TO THESE OBJECTS, TO GO ALONG WITH THEM.

ANOTHER HEAD IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION

CAME WITH EXACTLY THIS KIND OF TALL TALE.

COULD THIS BE ANOTHER FAKE HEAD?

THE HEAD WAS ACQUIRED BY THE MUSEUM IN 1950.

THE INFORMATION THAT THEY GAVE US

WAS THAT IT WAS A MALE SHAMAN

WHO WAS TRYING TO CURE A CHILD OF ONE OF HIS TRIBESMEN.

BUT SINCE HE COULDN'T DO IT,

THE FATHER OF THE CHILD KILLED THE SHAMAN AND TOOK HIS HEAD.

THAT'S WHAT WE THOUGHT DURING A VERY LONG TIME.

IN 2016, THE MUSEUM ANALYZED THE HEAD'S DNA.

THE ANALYSIS REVEALED THIS IS NOT MADE OF ANIMAL SKIN--

IT'S A REAL HUMAN HEAD.

BUT SOMETHING WAS WRONG.

THE DNA ANALYSIS SAID THAT THIS IS A FEMALE HEAD,

NOT A MALE.

IT'S A SHOCKING REVELATION.

GENUINE CEREMONIAL SHRUNKEN HEADS ARE ALWAYS MALE,

BECAUSE THE SHUAR SHRANK HEADS

TO STOP THE SOUL OF A SLAIN WARRIOR

FROM TAKING REVENGE,

AND IN SHUAR SOCIETY, WOMEN WERE NEVER WARRIORS.

SHRUNKEN HEADS WERE TRADITIONALLY MADE

OF MALE WARRIORS.

WOMEN, ON THE OTHER HAND,

WERE NOT EXPECTED TO PRESENT THE SAME THREAT AT ALL.

SO THE ONLY REASON TO SHRINK A WOMAN'S HEAD

WOULD BE TO SATISFY THE VICTORIAN DEMAND

FOR MORBID CURIOS.

SHE WASN'T A VICTIM OF TRIBAL CONFLICT,

BUT OF COLD-BLOODED MURDER.

THE KILLING STARTED TO INCREASE

IN ORDER TO SUPPLY FOR THE DEMAND.

SO IT WAS MOST PROBABLY AN INNOCENT FEMALE.

THIS WOMAN'S DEATH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH CEREMONY

AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH MONEY.

THIS IS A COMMERCIAL SHRUNKEN HEAD.

COMMERCIAL HEADS WERE CREATED JUST FOR TRADE,

JUST AS A COMMODITY.

THERE WAS NO SPIRITUAL ASPECT CONNECTED TO IT.

BY THE LATE 19th CENTURY,

IN THE QUEST FOR EVER STRANGER CURIOSITIES,

HUMAN HEADS HAD BECOME COMMODITIES,

AND THE SHUAR WERE CENTRAL TO THIS BLOODY TRADE,

AS VICTIMS AND PERPETRATORS.

THE SHUAR PRIDED THEMSELVES

ON THEIR FEARSOME REPUTATION.

THEY FOUGHT AMONGST THEMSELVES, CLAN VERSUS CLAN,

AND AGAINST NEIGHBORING TRIBES USING BLOWPIPES AND SPEARS.

BUT THE VICTORIAN FASCINATION WITH SHRUNKEN HEADS

TURNED THESE LOCALIZED SKIRMISHES INTO FULL-BLOWN WAR.

BECAUSE AS THE TRADE ESCALATED IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,

INSTEAD OF BUYING SHRUNKEN HEADS WITH CASH,

EUROPEANS BEGAN TRADING WITH A DEADLY NEW CURRENCY--

GUNS.

THIS ALLOWED THE SHUAR PEOPLE

TO COLLECT HEADS AT A GREATER PACE

AND IN GREATER NUMBER,

AND THE SHUAR BEGAN KILLING PEOPLE INDISCRIMINATELY

IN ORDER TO MEET EUROPEAN DEMAND.

THE GUNS TRIGGERED AN EXPLOSION IN VIOLENCE...

AS A VICIOUS CIRCLE OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND,

BLAME AND RETALIATION SPIRALED OUT OF CONTROL.

SO IT DOES SEEM THAT THE MORE WE DIG DEEP

INTO THE HISTORY OF THE HEAD-SHRINKING TRADE,

IT BECOMES MORE AND MORE GRIM AND MACABRE AND UNPLEASANT

AND REMOVED FROM ITS ORIGINAL MEANING.

TWO GENUINE CEREMONIAL SHRUNKEN HEADS--

A FAKE MADE OF ANIMAL SKIN

AND THE SHRUNKEN HEAD OF A WOMAN MADE FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES.

THE FOUR HEADS IN WARSAW TELL AN INCREASINGLY DISTURBING STORY

OF A DESCENT FROM ANCIENT RITUAL TO FAKERY AND MURDER.

BUT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

NOW DR. TOBIAS HOULTON WANTS TO DELVE DEEPER

INTO THE SECRETS OF SHRUNKEN HEADS,

TO RETRACE THEIR JOURNEY FROM EUROPE

BACK TO WHERE THE STORY BEGAN... TO THE AMAZON.

ANTHROPOLOGIST AND FACIAL ANATOMY EXPERT

DR. TOBIAS HOULTON IS TRAVELING TO THE AMAZON,

TO THE HISTORIC COLONIAL CITY OF CUENCA IN ECUADOR.

HERE ON THE EDGE OF SHUAR TERRITORY,

HE WANTS TO DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF SHRUNKEN HEADS.

I WANT TO GET TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE CUSTOM--

THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT

AS WELL AS THE VICTIMS OF THE HEAD-SHRINKING.

THE CITY'S MUSEUM IS HOME

TO SOUTH AMERICA'S LARGEST COLLECTION OF SHRUNKEN HEADS.

HOULTON HOPES THESE HEADS, SO CLOSE TO THE SHUAR HOMELAND,

WILL HOLD MORE CLUES ABOUT HOW THEY WERE MADE

AND WHO THEY WERE.

BUT HE'S ABOUT TO DISCOVER THEY'RE NOT WHAT HE EXPECTS.

WITH SPECIALIST IMAGING TECHNOLOGY

USED BY CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS,

HE EXAMINES THE HEADS IN FORENSIC DETAIL.

INFRARED REFLECTOLOGY CAPTURES INFRARED WAVELENGTHS

BEYOND THE RANGE OF VISIBLE LIGHT

TO REVEAL DETAILS INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE.

THE BENEFIT OF USING THIS

IS THAT IT WILL GIVE ME A NICE, DEFINED IMAGE OF THE SKIN

AND GIVE ME A DETAILED IDEA OF ANY CHANGES IN THE SKIN PATTERN,

WHICH WILL HELP IDENTIFY IF THIS IS A CEREMONIAL TSANTSA

OR COMMERCIAL SHRUNKEN HEAD.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME THIS TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN USED

TO EXAMINE THE HEADS IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION,

REVEALING TO CURATOR TAMARA LANDIVAR

DETAILS SHE'S NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, HOULTON SEES

THERE'S SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT THIS SHRUNKEN HEAD.

THERE'S NO DOUBT THIS IS A HUMAN HEAD,

BUT A GENUINE CEREMONIAL SHRUNKEN HEAD

SHOULD HAVE SMOOTH, HAIRLESS SKIN,

EVIDENCE THAT THE HEAD HAD BEEN PREPARED

USING THE TRADITIONAL SHUAR TECHNIQUE

OF IRONING THE SKIN WITH A HEATED ROCK.

THE IMAGES REVEAL THE SKIN ON THIS HEAD

IS THICKER AND ROUGHER THAN EXPECTED.

THE INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS PROCESSING THIS HEAD

DIDN'T ACTUALLY IRON THE SKIN

IN QUITE THE SAME WAY AS THE SHUAR.

THIS SUBTLE DETAIL, INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE,

SUGGESTS THIS IS NOT A GENUINE CEREMONIAL SHRUNKEN HEAD.

NO, I THINK IT'S MOST PROBABLY

A COMMERCIAL SHRUNKEN HEAD.

SO IF THIS HEAD WASN'T MADE BY THE SHUAR,

WHO WAS IT MADE BY?

BY THE 1880s, THE WESTERN MANIA FOR SHRUNKEN HEADS

HAD TRIGGERED A TWISTED GOLD RUSH.

AND THIS TREASURE WASN'T MINED FROM THE EARTH,

IT WAS MADE FROM HUMAN FLESH.

A SINGLE SHRUNKEN HEAD COULD BE EXCHANGED FOR A GUN OR MACHETE,

OR SOLD FOR BETWEEN 5 AND 25 DOLLARS.

NOT MUCH FOR A HUMAN LIFE,

BUT A SMALL FORTUNE IN 19th CENTURY ECUADOR.

WITH SERIOUS MONEY TO BE MADE,

THE SHUAR BEGAN KILLING TO MEET WESTERN DEMAND.

TRIBAL WARRIORS BECAME COMMERCIAL HEAD-HUNTERS.

AND IT WASN'T LONG

BEFORE OUTSIDERS JOINED THE DEADLY TREASURE HUNT.

IN THE TOWNS AND SETTLEMENTS ON THE EDGE OF THE JUNGLE,

COLONIAL SETTLERS SOON LEARNED THE ANCIENT ART

OF HEAD-SHRINKING.

BY THE LATE 19th CENTURY

THE SHUAR AND COLONIAL SETTLERS

WERE ALL MAKING SHRUNKEN HEADS TO SELL.

BUT HOULTON'S INFRARED IMAGES REVEAL EVEN THIS WASN'T ENOUGH

TO SATISFY THE INSATIABLE DEMAND

FOR THESE GRUESOME COLLECTOR'S ITEMS.

BECAUSE ON THE SKIN OF ANOTHER HEAD

IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION,

HE'S DISCOVERED STRANGE RAISED PATCHES,

EVIDENCE OF AN EVEN DARKER CHAPTER

IN THE STORY OF SHRUNKEN HEADS.

AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS AREA HERE

LOOKS LIKE THAT MIGHT BE A LESION

THAT HAD DEVELOPED DURING DECOMPOSITION.

AFTER DEATH, TISSUE BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN,

CAUSING SKIN TO DISCOLOR AND DISINTEGRATE.

AND THAT MEANS THIS MAN WASN'T KILLED IN TRIBAL WARFARE.

HE WASN'T KILLED TO FUEL THE TRADE IN SHRUNKEN HEADS.

HE WAS ALREADY DEAD.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE TIME SCALE

BETWEEN THE PERSON'S DEATH--

WHEN THE HEAD WAS TAKEN AND THEN SHRUNK--

YOU KNOW, IT WAS PROBABLY A LARGER TIME SCALE

THAN WHAT YOU'D EXPECT TO SEE WITH A CEREMONIAL TSANTSA.

THE SHUAR SHRUNK THEIR VICTIMS' HEADS

IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEATH

TO PREVENT THEIR VENGEFUL SPIRIT FROM ESCAPING.

BUT THIS HEAD HAD STARTED TO DECOMPOSE.

THE HEAD COULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO DECOMPOSE

OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.

IT CAN MEAN ONLY ONE THING.

THIS HEAD WAS STOLEN FROM A BODY

AND SHRUNK FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES.

BY THE LATE 19th CENTURY

IT SEEMS A NEW KIND OF CRIMINAL HAD JOINED THE FEEDING FRENZY--

BODY-SNATCHERS.

BUT WHERE DID THEY SNATCH THE BODIES FROM?

HOULTON THINKS ONE HEAD IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION

HOLDS A CLUE.

THIS IS AN INTERESTING ONE.

THE WAVY HAIR AND THE THICK BEARD,

THE FULL EXPOSURE OF THE UPPER EYELIDS,

THE EYELASHES, THE VERY FINE SUTURING,

IS PROBABLY PRODUCED FROM A EUROPEAN INDIVIDUAL.

THIS MAN WAS OF EUROPEAN ORIGIN,

LIVING IN OR NEAR SHUAR TERRITORY

IN THE LATE 19th OR EARLY 20th CENTURY.

HE MAY HAVE BEEN A MISSIONARY OR TRADER,

AND THAT MADE HIM AN IDEAL TARGET FOR BODY-SNATCHERS.

EUROPEAN HEADS WOULD HAVE LIKELY BEEN USED

BECAUSE THEY WERE READILY ACCESSIBLE

WITHIN HOSPITAL MORTUARIES OR IN CEMETERIES,

SO THEY WERE EASY TO ACCESS

BY THOSE LIVING IN COLONIAL TOWNS AND VILLAGES,

UNLIKE THE SHUAR WHO WERE LIVING OUT IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST.

A NUMBER OF EUROPEANS WERE ACTUALLY PURCHASING HEADS

THAT THEY THOUGHT WERE FROM THE EXOTIC SHUAR CULTURE

DEEP IN THE AMAZON,

ONLY TO ACTUALLY BE HOLDING ON TO A HEAD

THAT WAS ACTUALLY SHRUNK OF A EUROPEAN.

THE INVESTIGATION IS UNCOVERING A SINISTER STORY

OF HEAD-HUNTING AND BODY-SNATCHING.

AND JUST WHEN HOULTON THOUGHT HE'D SEEN IT ALL,

THERE'S WORSE TO COME.

KEPT AWAY FROM PUBLIC VIEW IN THE VAULTS OF THE MUSEUM

IS A TRULY DISTURBING ITEM THAT MARKS A TERRIBLE TIPPING POINT,

AS THE DEMAND FOR SHRUNKEN HEADS

DROVE PEOPLE TO COMMIT EVER MORE DESPERATE ACTS.

IT'S THE HEAD OF A CHILD.

THIS IS ACTUALLY A RATHER SHOCKING SHRUNKEN HEAD

TO LOOK AT.

TO SATISFY COLLECTORS' APPETITES

FOR EVER MORE, EVER STRANGER SHRUNKEN HEADS,

THIS CHILD WAS DECAPITATED AND TURNED INTO A COMMODITY.

IT'S REALLY A, AN ABSOLUTE TRAVESTY

THAT A CHILD SHOULD BE USED THIS WAY--

TO EARN MONEY AND PROFITS.

IT'S REALLY QUITE DISGRACEFUL

THAT SOMEBODY SHOULD DO THIS TO A CHILD.

THE FAKES, THE INNOCENT MEN AND WOMEN,

EVEN THE DEAD, WEREN'T ENOUGH TO SATISFY THE WESTERN APPETITE

FOR THESE MACABRE COLLECTOR'S ITEMS,

AND SO THE HEAD-HUNTERS BROKE THE FINAL TABOO--

THEY BEGAN KILLING CHILDREN.

WHEN HEAD-HUNTING BECAME PARTICULARLY POPULAR,

ESPECIALLY REFERRING TO THE 1880s,

WOMEN, CHILDREN, ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE

WOULD BE KILLED IN ORDER TO PROCURE

A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF HEADS TO SHRINK

TO SELL ON THE MARKETS.

THIS INDISCRIMINATE SLAUGHTER

WAS A WORLD AWAY

FROM THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF HEAD-SHRINKING--

TO PREVENT A WARRIOR'S SOUL FROM TAKING REVENGE ON THE KILLER.

FOR THE SHUAR, AS VICTIMS AND PERPETRATORS,

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS TWISTED TRADE WERE CATASTROPHIC.

THE PROUD SHUAR TRIBE, THE ONLY INDIGENOUS SOUTH AMERICAN PEOPLE

TO REMAIN UNCONQUERED BY THE SPANISH CONQUISTADORS,

WAS PUSHED TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION.

BUT AS EXTINCTION LOOMED,

ATTITUDES BEGAN TO CHANGE,

BECAUSE NOT ALL THE WESTERNERS WHO VENTURED INTO THE JUNGLE

CAME IN SEARCH OF SHRUNKEN HEADS.

SOME CAME TO STOP THE BLOODSHED.

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES PREACHED AN END

TO VIOLENCE AND HEAD-HUNTING.

GRADUALLY, VICTORIAN OBSESSION

TURNED TO MODERN REPULSION.

FROM THE 1930s ONWARDS THE TRADE IN SHRUNKEN HEADS DECLINED,

UNTIL IT WAS EVENTUALLY BANNED BY THE ECUADORIAN GOVERNMENT

IN THE 1960s.

BUT THOSE WHO DIDN'T LOSE THEIR LIVES

LOST THEIR REPUTATION.

NOW DR. TOBIAS HOULTON

WANTS TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT...

TO HELP RESTORE THE SHUAR'S REPUTATION

AS A PROUD ANCIENT PEOPLE,

BY REASSESSING THE SCIENCE OF HEAD-SHRINKING.

YES, IT WAS A PRODUCT OF WARFARE,

AND WARFARE IS, IS NEVER A POSITIVE THING.

BUT THE SCIENCE THAT WENT BEHIND THE HEAD-SHRINKING PRACTICE

WAS QUITE ASTONISHING,

AND THE ABILITY TO PRESERVE A HEAD FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS,

WITHIN AN AMAZON RAINFOREST CONDITION,

IS REALLY QUITE INCREDIBLE.

HOW DID THE SHUAR SHRINK A HUMAN HEAD

TO A FRACTION OF ITS ORIGINAL SIZE?

WHY HAVE THE HEADS

THAT WERE MADE TO BE DISCARDED AFTER JUST A YEAR

SURVIVED FOR OVER A HUNDRED?

TO FIND OUT, HOULTON NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND

EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A HEAD IS SHRUNK.

AND TO DO THAT HE MUST LEARN THE ANCIENT CRAFT OF HEAD-SHRINKING.

ON A MISSION TO REVEAL THE SECRETS OF SHRUNKEN HEADS,

ANTHROPOLOGIST DR. TOBIAS HOULTON

HAS COME TO CUENCA, ECUADOR.

HE'S INVESTIGATING THE SCIENCE BEHIND HEAD-SHRINKING.

IT'S AN INTEREST THAT GOES BACK MANY YEARS.

MY EARLIEST EXPERIENCE OF WITNESSING A SHRUNKEN HEAD

MUST HAVE BEEN WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL AGE,

NEAR ENOUGH NINE, TEN YEARS OLD.

AND I REMEMBER WALKING INTO A MUSEUM

AND SEEING THIS SPECIMEN ON DISPLAY,

AND IMMEDIATELY QUESTIONS WERE RINGING IN MY HEAD--

WHO PRODUCED THESE INCREDIBLE SPECIMENS?

HOW DID THEY DO IT? WHY DID THEY DO IT?

MORE RECENTLY, HOULTON HAS BEEN CAPTIVATED

BY ONE HEAD ABOVE ALL OTHERS--

THE SHRUNKEN HEAD OF A MAN,

GIVEN TO THE McMANUS MUSEUM IN DUNDEE, SCOTLAND, IN 1923.

NOW HOULTON HOPES TO LEARN

THE ANCIENT ART OF HEAD-SHRINKING

AND USE HIS FINDINGS IN A UNIQUE EXPERIMENT.

HE WANTS TO DISCOVER THE EFFECTS OF THE SHRINKING PROCESS.

THEN, WITH THIS INFORMATION,

HE'LL ATTEMPT TO REVERSE ENGINEER THE PROCESS

THAT TURNED THIS MAN INTO A SHRUNKEN HEAD...

TO CREATE A COMPUTER-GENERATED RECONSTRUCTION OF THE MAN'S FACE

AS HE LOOKED IN LIFE.

I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND RECONSTRUCT A SHRUNKEN HEAD

TO ITS ORIGINAL, FULL HUMAN FORM,

AND THIS IS ESSENTIALLY TO RAISE THE DIGNITY OF THAT INDIVIDUAL

AND REMIND EVERYONE THAT THIS WAS ACTUALLY A HUMAN BEING.

THE TRADE IN HEADS WAS BANNED OVER HALF A CENTURY AGO,

BUT THE PHYSICAL PROCESS OF MAKING A CEREMONIAL HEAD

HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN BY WORD OF MOUTH

TO TODAY'S TRIBAL ELDERS.

THIS IS THE INFORMATION HOULTON NEEDS

TO UNDERTAKE HIS AMBITIOUS FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION.

IT'S CRITICAL TO ACTUALLY IDENTIFY

HOW THE HEAD SHRINKS OVER THIS PROCESS,

SO THAT I ACTUALLY KNOW

WHEN IT COMES TO PERFORMING A RECONSTRUCTION ON A HEAD,

WHAT FEATURES CHANGE THE MOST AND WHY.

SHUAR TRIBAL ELDER NAWECH ENTSA KAYAP PEDRO

IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE ALIVE TODAY

WHO KNOW HOW TO MAKE A CEREMONIAL TSANTSA.

FOR HOULTON, THIS MEETING IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

TO DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE TSANTSA AT FIRST HAND.

THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE TSANTSA

WAS TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE

BETWEEN RIVAL CLANS AND TRIBES.

THE SHUAR BELIEVED POSSESSING THEIR VICTIM'S HEAD

WOULD PREVENT HIM FROM RETURNING TO SEEK REVENGE.

NAWECH SHARES HIS ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE,

PROVIDING A BLOW-BY-BLOW ACCOUNT OF HOW TO SHRINK A HUMAN HEAD.

AS HOULTON LISTENS,

NAWECH EXPLAINS THE PROCESS IN DETAIL--

HOW TO REMOVE THE SKULL, EYES AND TONGUE,

HOW TO TREAT THE SKIN AND HOW TO DRY IT OUT.

AND THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS,

THE KILLER FASTED TO PROTECT HIMSELF

AGAINST HIS VICTIM'S MALIGN INFLUENCE.

ONCE THE HEAD WAS SHRUNK, THE WARRIOR REGAINED HIS POWER

BY DRINKING AN HALLUCINOGENIC POTION.

THIS UNIQUE INSIGHT

REVEALS THE RITUAL AND TECHNICAL COMPLEXITY

OF MAKING A GENUINE CEREMONIAL SHRUNKEN HEAD.

TO ACTUALLY PRESERVE A HUMAN HEAD

WITHIN A HOT AND HUMID ENVIRONMENT

IS SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T COME NATURALLY.

SO THE INTELLIGENCE AND SOPHISTICATION

THAT THEY HAD TO PRACTICE IN ORDER TO MUMMIFY THESE HEADS

IS QUITE ASTONISHING.

HOULTON'S TRIP TO ECUADOR

HAS GIVEN HIM STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

ON HOW TO SHRINK A HEAD.

NOW HE MUST PUT THIS NEWFOUND KNOWLEDGE INTO PRACTICE.

HIS GOAL?

TO CREATE A SHRUNKEN HEAD.

WITH SMOOTH, RELATIVELY HAIRLESS SKIN,

A PIG'S HEAD PROVIDES THE CLOSEST ANALOGY

TO A HUMAN HEAD.

SO I'M JUST TAKING DIMENSIONS ACROSS THE FACE,

AND THIS WILL ACT AS A MEANS OF COMPARISON

FOLLOWING HEAD-SHRINKING

TO GET A GENERAL IDEA OF HOW MUCH THE HEAD'S REDUCED.

USING THE TECHNIQUES LEARNED IN ECUADOR,

HOULTON BEGINS THE GRUESOME PROCESS.

FIRST HE REMOVES THE ONE THING THAT WON'T SHRINK, THE SKULL.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE

IS THAT THE SHUAR HAD TO REMOVE THE SKULL

IN ORDER TO MAKE SHRINKAGE POSSIBLE,

SO THAT'S THE REASON FOR REMOVING THE SKIN FROM THE HEAD.

THIS IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT THE SHUAR WOULD HAVE DONE

WHEN SHRINKING A HEAD.

NEXT, THREE WOODEN PINS SEAL THE MOUTH SHUT.

AMONGST THE SHUAR IT WAS ESSENTIAL

THAT THE MOUTH WAS WELL AND TRULY FASTENED,

BECAUSE THAT WAS BELIEVED TO BE THE CENTRAL ORIFICE

THAT THE ENEMY'S SPIRITS WOULD ESCAPE FROM.

HE USES THICK TWINE TO SEW THE EYES SHUT.

SO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STITCHING THE EYELIDS SHUT

WAS THAT IT WAS A MEANS

OF TRAPPING THE ENEMY'S SPIRITS WITHIN THE HEAD.

WITH THE MOUTH AND EYES SEALED,

HOULTON PLACES THE HEAD INTO BOILING WATER

AND LEAVES IT FOR AN HOUR.

LIKE HUMAN SKIN, THE PIG'S SKIN IS MADE UP COLLAGEN FIBERS,

AND WHEN THESE FIBERS ARE EXPOSED TO TEMPERATURES

ABOVE 145 DEGREES,

THEY CONTRACT, CAUSING THE SKIN TO SHRINK.

TO DRY THE SKIN AND SHRINK THE HEAD EVEN FURTHER,

HOULTON FILLS IT WITH HOT PEBBLES AND SAND.

THIS ABSORBS ANY REMAINING MOISTURE.

FINALLY, HE IRONS THE SKIN.

THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE, THE FINAL TOUCHES

OF THE HEAD-SHRINKING PROCESS.

WHAT I'M DOING IS TAKING A HOT, FLAT PEBBLE

AND IRONING THE OUTER FACE WITH IT.

AND WHAT THIS IS DOING IS HELPING ME MOLD THE SKIN

AND DRY IT OUT ENTIRELY FROM THE OUTSIDE.

BY THE END OF THE PROCESS,

THE PIG'S HEAD IS SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER.

NOW HE'S SEEN FIRST-HAND

HOW THE SHRINKING PROCESS CHANGES A HEAD,

HOULTON CAN EMBARK ON THE FINAL PART OF HIS QUEST.

THE NEXT STAGE IS TO TAKE ALL THE INFORMATION

THAT I'VE GOT SO FAR

AND ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THE PROCESS

OF RECONSTRUCTING THE FACE OF A SHRUNKEN HEAD

TO REVIVE THE WARRIOR THAT ONCE EXISTED.

USING CUTTING-EDGE COMPUTER MODELING TECHNOLOGY,

HOULTON WILL ATTEMPT SOMETHING THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE--

TO REVERSE THE HEAD-SHRINKING PROCESS

AND DISCOVER THE MAN BEHIND THE SHRUNKEN HEAD.

ON A MISSION TO REVEAL THE SECRETS OF SHRUNKEN HEADS,

FACIAL ANATOMY EXPERT DR. TOBIAS HOULTON

HAS DISCOVERED HOW TO SHRINK A HEAD.

NOW HE'S READY TO REVERSE THE PROCESS

AND REVEAL HOW ONE VICTIM WOULD HAVE LOOKED IN LIFE.

IT'S NOT GONNA RIGHT THE WRONGS OF THE PAST,

BUT AT LEAST WE'RE BRINGING BACK THE HUMAN BEING

FROM WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY LOOKED UPON

AS A MUSEUM ARTIFACT OR A CULTURAL SPECIMEN.

HOULTON HAS TRAVELED

TO LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY IN THE UK.

HERE, AT THE RENOWNED FACE LAB,

FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION EXPERT PROFESSOR CAROLINE WILKINSON

HAS GIVEN A FACE TO THOUSANDS OF JOHN AND JANE DOES

AND HELPED SOLVE HUNDREDS OF MURDERS

AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL MYSTERIES.

BUT THIS COULD BE HER TOUGHEST CASE YET.

Caroline Wilkinson: USUALLY WITH THE FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS,

WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE LOOKING

AT THE STRUCTURE OF THE SKULL

AND THE DETAILS OF THE BONES OF THE SKULL

TO TELL US ABOUT THE SOFT TISSUE FEATURES.

BUT SHRUNKEN HEADS HAVE NO SKULLS.

THE SKULL IS REMOVED TO ALLOW THE HEAD TO SHRINK.

IN THIS CASE, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A SKULL,

WE'RE GOING TO USE A TEMPLATE SKULL,

WHICH IS A TYPICAL SKULL FROM THAT PART OF THE WORLD

OF A SIMILAR AGE AND GENDER TO OUR TARGET INDIVIDUAL.

USING A TEMPLATE SKULL IS STANDARD PRACTICE

IN FORENSIC AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL FACIAL RECONSTRUCTIONS

WHERE PART OF THE SKULL IS MISSING OR BADLY DAMAGED.

IT WON'T PROVIDE A PERFECT LIKENESS,

BUT IT'S THE BEST SOLUTION WITH THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE.

WE CAN USE THAT TEMPLATE

TO UNFOLD AND INFLATE THAT SHRUNKEN HEAD

SO THAT WE CAN BUILD THE FACIAL FEATURES

AND SLOWLY BUILD UP THE FACIAL APPEARANCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL.

HOULTON'S ANALYSIS HAS ESTABLISHED

SHRUNKEN HEADS ARE ON AVERAGE A FIFTH OF THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE.

SO TO REVERSE THE PROCESS, THE HEAD MUST BE SCALED UP

TO FIVE TIMES ITS CURRENT SIZE.

YOU NEED A BIT OF GROWTH

ON THAT CRANIUM, DON'T YOU?

YEAH. YEAH.

THE NOSE AND MOUTH REQUIRE CAREFUL ATTENTION.

THE MOUTH HAS BECOME DISTORTED BY BEING PINNED SHUT.

AND WITHOUT A SKULL TO HOLD IT IN PLACE,

THE NOSE HAS RETRACTED UPWARDS AS IT SHRUNK.

TO CORRECT THESE EXAGGERATIONS,

HOULTON TURNS TO EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS

OF SHUAR TRIBESMEN AS A REFERENCE POINT.

IF WE PUSH THE MOUTH BACK IN,

AND THEN THIS IS PRETTY MUCH THERE ON THE TOP.

SURE.

HOULTON USES TISSUE DEPTH MARKERS

BASED ON DATA FROM AVERAGE INDIGENOUS AMERICANS

TO DIGITALLY REINSTATE THE TISSUE, FAT AND MUSCLE

DESTROYED DURING THE SHRINKING PROCESS...

AND GIVE THE FACE BACK ITS SHAPE.

WITH THE FACIAL STRUCTURE IN PLACE,

SKIN TEXTURE AND TYPICAL SHUAR BODY ORNAMENTATION

CAN BE ADDED--

BAMBOO TUBES DECORATED WITH RED AND YELLOW TOUCAN FEATHERS

PIERCE THE EARS.

WE CAN USE CUTTING-EDGE CGI TECHNIQUES

FOR ADDING THE SKIN AND THE HAIR

AND THE OTHER REALISTIC DETAILS OF THE FACE.

FINALLY, THE PROGRAM RENDERS THE FINE DETAILS,

AND THE PROCESS IS COMPLETE.

AT LEAST A HUNDRED YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH,

5,000 MILES FROM HIS BIRTHPLACE,

A SHUAR WARRIOR STARES OUT FROM THE SCREEN.

IS THIS THE FACE YOU EXPECTED?

WELL, IT CERTAINLY LOOKS LIKE A SHUAR WARRIOR.

IT DOES.

SO, YEAH, IT'S... IMPRESSIVE.

IT LOOKS AMAZING. YEAH.

FROM AMAZONIAN WARRIOR TO VICTORIAN COLLECTOR'S ITEM

AND BACK.

THE MORE WE CAN LEARN

ABOUT THEIR TRADITIONS AND THEIR WAY OF LIFE

HELPS US TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEM.

THEY'RE MORE THAN JUST HEAD SHRINKERS.

THAT'S ONE VERY SMALL ELEMENT OF THEIR IDENTITY.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BOTANISTS, THEY'RE HORTICULTURALISTS,

THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR ENVIRONMENT,

THEY KNOW HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST.

THE STORY OF SHRUNKEN HEADS AND OF THIS MAN

IS MORE THAN THE STORY OF MACABRE MUSEUM PIECES.

IT'S THE STORY OF A SOCIETY,

OF VICTIMS THAT WERE ALSO PERPETRATORS...

OF EXPLOITATION, DEVASTATION AND SURVIVAL.