Smaller Than Life: The Lure and Lore of Amazonian Shrunken Heads

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More About

• John Verano
• Amy Potts
• Jivaro Indians
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Science and Technology

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Shrunken heads of the Amazon might sound like the title of a '50s B-movie set in the jungle, but the bizarre artifacts do indeed have a basis in reality. Anthropologist Dr. John Verano, who has examined actual heads (with gloves, no doubt), will talk about the tiny noggins in his lecture Smaller Than Life: The Lure and Lore of Amazonian Shrunken Heads. According to Amy Potts of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, a shrunken head - made by the Jivaro Indians of Peru and Ecuador - was presented to Western scientists for the first time in 1862 and generated a lot of interest...and drive for profit. "They were so rare, enterprising artifact traders began making replicas to satisfy demand," she continues. "Some were actual human heads that had been stolen and clandestinely prepared. Others were made from monkey heads." 6:30 p.m. One Hermann Circle Drive. For information, call 713-639-4629 or visit www.hmns.org. $12 to $17.
Mon., Dec. 14, 6:30 p.m., 2009