MUSEUM QUALITY RESIN ASMAT TRIBAL HEAD HUNTED HUMAN CHILD TROPHY SKULL & STAND

Description

Until the 1950s, warfare, headhunting, and cannibalism were constant features of Asmat social life. The people would build their houses along river bends so that an enemy attack could be seen in advance. Many Asmat believe that all deaths—except those of the very old and very young—come about through acts of malevolence, either by magic or actual physical force. Ancestral spirits demand vengeance for these deaths.The ancestors to whom they feel obligated are represented in shields, in large, spectacular wood carvings of canoes, and in ancestor poles consisting of human figurines. Until the late 1980s, the preferred way for a young man to fulfill his obligations to his kin and his ancestors and prove his sexual prowess was to take the head of an enemy and offer the body for cannibalistic consumption by other members of the village.
The Asmat have traditionally practiced headhunting, cannibalism as part of heir ritualized warfare scheme which usually involved revenge rectification of cosmic or clan imbalances. The heads from captured enemies were baked and skinned; a hole was cut in the skull and the brain was scraped out and eaten. The lower jaws was ripped off and worn as a pendant advertising prowess in war, and the skull was used as a pillow.
Asmat believe they are related to praying mantises which also eat their own kind. Trophy skulls, bone daggers, stone clubs are all associated with headhunting. As a symbol of the their headhunting skills men often wear bamboo and cassowary-quill pendants decorated with human vertebrae. Women sometimes borrow the pendants during feasts and wear them with dog-tooth necklaces and possum fur bonnets.
Officially headhunting ended the Indonesian part of New Guinea in the 1960s. But it still seemed to be going on in the 1970s and who knows perhaps it goes on from time to time even now in remote areas. Some anthropologists have said prohibition of clan warfare and headhunting has left a huge void in Asmat culture that the modern world has yet to replace.
This human skull is a copy from an original skull, the skull decoration has been sourced from Borneo and P.N.G. to keep the skull as authentic looking as possible. I have many tribal and other skulls so if you have a special want please contact me, I also have many other skulls for sale, check out my other items.
Total height with stand: 13 inches...33cm.
PLEASE NOTE THE SKULLS IS NOT REAL!
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Sadly t
he Thai postal service now charges .00 a kilo by air, land sea is a lot cheaper but takes longer. Before this Covid virus Thai post had an economy air service that they no longer do so airmail is a lot more expensive but much quicker.
Due to the size, shape and being slightly fragile, some pieces will have to be specially wrapped, boxed and insured for loss only which shows in the shipping cost, I do not intend to take any chances with these pieces, better safe than sorry, it would be heart breaking to think it arrived broken and deserves looking after.
I LIST NEW ITEMS EVERY WEEK, CHECK OUT MY WEIRD AND WONDERFUL ITEMS UP FOR AUCTION.
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Shipping from Thailand can take between 14 to 28 days depending on the postal service and area so please be patient.
Thai post will not ship to Brazil, Spain or The Russian Federation and many other eastern block countries so I can only use EMS which is about double the shipping rate quoted but twice as quick taking between 7-10 days. So please contact me first for a quote before you buy.
I do my best to bring you unique and sometimes very rare items. I can sell you an item, wrap it as carefully as I can and then ship it to you. I cannot control what Thai post charges for shipping or tell you the exact time it takes to arrive to you, and can only give you a rough idea from past dealings, I have no control what so ever over any postal service's or U.S. customs.
I use bubble wrap and other packing to cushion each item from possible mishandling during shipping. If for any reason, the item is broken, please email within 24 hours along with pictures of the broken item, original box inside and outside.
I try to take good photos with different angles, I also put all the information I know about the piece on the page including Height and Width,  I do not charge for the box and wrapping which is also expensive here as it has to be imported.