He made a clean cut starting with the nape of the enemy’s neck and went straight up to the top of the head. The skin on either side fell open obligingly. The warrior rolled the skin off the skull deftly and eased the bone structure out. He then made a cut at the temporal styloid process to disengage the skull from the spinal column and kept aside the bloody skull with the eyeballs still in their sockets.
The eyes have to be safeguarded. It is one of the most prized possessions of a warrior. Keeping the eyes in alcohol is the most popular method. Why do they keep the eyes? The eyes trap the soul of the man killed on the battlefield. In preserving the eyes, the soul of the fallen warrior is captured forever.
The eyes have to be sewn shut. So has the nostrils and mouth. The spirit of the slain warrior should not have any avenue to leave the head and wreak vengeance on the invaders.
Turning the head inside out, the cartilaginous tissue is painstakingly removed, the skin is rubbed down with charcoal and ash and then the face is tossed into a pot of water containing plant sap and seeds. The optimal time to boil the head to shrink it to the desired size without detaching the hair from the scalp, is about 60-90 minutes.
The #tsantsa will now be decorated with piercings, skin tattoos and ornaments. The skull is boiled clean and the cap will be used as a liquor mug, while teeth will go into ornaments. The brain sitting in the skull cavity is gently boiled and flavored with spices. This delicacy has a certain pecking order of being served. The brain along with the gonads of the leader of the enemy army was served to the King. The second in command was the meal of the General of the victorious army. Me!
I am a warrior. I will drink your blood and eat your brains. I will use your skull cap as my drinking bowl and sew your spirit within your face bag…forever! No release, No freedom. You are my slave forever. Your head will be mounted on spears and will embellish the entrance of my home. Your soul will serve me. For Eternity!