From Russia with Love?

Does anyone remember the scene from Silence of the Lambs where Hannibal Lector rips the face off the police officer and puts it on his face? … yeah, ahm … enough said.

This one is a bit disturbing. The Jivaro Indians of Ecuador at least did it as a tribal and cultural thing … but whomever did this job was not in the same league (at all).

So, What Do We Know About This Beauty?

• The head is Asiatic, 20th century, origin unknown, but possibly Russian-Mongolian.
• Theory is the maker was someone (Russian) who was aware of genuine Shuar- Jivaro heads , but didn’t know how to make one….possibly a “science experiment”… possibly meant to be a human skin mask.
• The other similar one (which Ripley’s also owns), minus the snake skin, has very similar skin texture, and hair color, possibly created by the same person? (both appear to have been poorly butchered)
• The one with the snake is probably a composite—the snake skin not being part of the original.

Alexander Wassiliewitsch Barchenko … Ring a Bell? Anyone?

According to the purveyor of this “mask” was part of diverse objects that have been collected during the twenties of the 20th century by an expedition of the OGPU (the predecessor organization of the KGB).

The respective expedition was led by the biologist and parapsychologist Alexander Wassiliewitsch Barchenko (1881 – 1938), who principally became known for his studies on semi-mythic advanced civilisations such as Atlantis and Hyperborea.

Shrunken Heads in Central Asia?

Extraordinary evidence for the use of shrunken heads by the shamans of Central Asia. Such shrunken head masks were, amongst other things, used by the shamans to communicate with the spirit world.

These are the only two heads we have ever seen suggesting someone other than the Shuar  of Ecuador shrunk human heads, but because there is no back to them, probably best to call them shrunken faces!

Important to note, there are no mouth strings, or sewing of any sort, and appear to have been “ripped off” rather than cut and peeled. Believe It or Not!