Almost every film in which warlike Indians appear displays a ritual such as scalping - cutting hair from the head of a defeated enemy along with skin. True, few people wonder why the Indians took scalps and where this custom came from. But this topic is really interesting to any historian.
When the first scalp was taken
Of course, it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of when people began to take scalps from enemies. But it is well known that the Indians were not the first. According to historians, the Scythians had such a custom back in the fifth century BC. Surely, similar traditions existed in more ancient times.
It is possible that the Indians retained this habit after moving from Asia to North America about 23 thousand years ago. However, it can be assumed that such a tradition was revived already in place, during the numerous and extremely cruel wars between the tribes.
Indians and Indians?
Today, many people are interested not so much why the Indians took the scalps, but who taught them this. Some historians insistently argue that it was the first European settlers who killed the locals to liberate the land for pastures and crops to bring this cruel tradition.
However, the issue is rather controversial. On the one hand, there is evidence that the Europeans did take the scalps. To begin with, the documents keep records that the Indians were well paid for the dead, and the scalp was the best proof of this. It is worth noting - not only white people rushed to surrender them, but also many locals who still fought with each other.
But it is doubtful that a tradition forgotten in Europe tens of thousands of years ago was suddenly revived immediately after moving to America. But in the traditions of the Indians themselves, as well as eyewitness accounts, it appears that the Aborigines actively took scalps from the killed enemies.
Enemy scalp as an indicator of courage
Now we are getting close to the question of why the Indians took the scalp from the head of a killed (and sometimes just wounded or captured) enemy.
First of all, it was a status thing. The very fact of the presence of a large number of scalps seemed to say that the owner is a strong warrior who defeated many enemies in battle. But such a trophy was usually not nameless. The name of the defeated opponents was remembered, and in the evening to demonstrate a piece of skin from the head by the fire, saying to whom it belonged before, was considered an indicator of great valor. If the hero managed to defeat such a dangerous enemy, then he really deserves respect.
Sometimes a scalp was simply used as evidence that a certain person was killed. For example, having avenged his relatives killed, the Indian must have cut off the skin from the head of the defeated enemy. However, this was not the only trophy - also the winner could chop off the victim’s arm, leg or head. However, they were not durable and simply spoiled. But carefully crafted skin with hair could be stored for several decades, decorating the costume of an Indian or proudly flying over his wigwam.
Ritual meaning
However, it is rather difficult to answer unequivocally why the Indians took scalps. Indeed, some experts also speak of a ritualistic meaning. This version has a right to exist.
Many signs and superstitions are associated with hair, not only among Indians, but also among European peoples. For instance:
- They can’t simply be thrown away after cutting - you need to burn, bury or throw in flowing water.
- You can not get a haircut for pregnant women and people before a serious test.
- Children need to be sheared not earlier than they turn one year old.
Many people believed that the strength of a person is stored in the hair (remember Samson, who was sheared by deception, depriving him of strength). Therefore, cutting off the hair from the killed enemy, the warrior became stronger, capturing his strength.
Having a scalp in his hands, the shaman could perform a complicated dance ritual, as a result of which the soul of the former hair owner became forever the servant of the winner. Here is another reason to cut the skin from the head of a dead enemy.
In general, it’s very difficult to clearly say why the Indians took scalps. It is more logical to assume that all of the above reasons played their role. Or, that each tribe had its own superstition.
It is foolish to believe that all the Indians who inhabited North America were a single people. It’s the same as “Europeans” to unite all the inhabitants of Europe into a single nation - each country has its own history, language, traditions and culture. The situation was exactly the same with the North American Indians, of whom there were many: Sioux, Iroquois, Hurons, Pawnis, Miami, Ottawa, Cherokee, Mohicans, Delaware and dozens of others. Some were brotherly, others were at enmity, and still others did not know anything about each other, although they might have similar traditions.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. In it, we tried to maximize the answer to the question of why the Indians removed the scalps. And at the same time made a short excursion into the history of these tribes.