Fearsome cannibal tribe ate enemies' heads to use their skulls as pillows
dailystar.co.ukREAD MORE: Elite 'Red Devil' Brit paratrooper seriously injured in horror high-speed flying accidentTo prepare the head for consumption, Asmat men would scrape off the skin leaving a fleshy skull which is then roasted in an oven.The grisly ritual acted as a show of dominance and terrified other tribes, the community also believes the human head is a sacred object and likened it to the fruit of a tree, according to Pulse Nigeria.The decapitated body part was also used during coming of age ceremonies, where it would be placed between the thighs of a boy as it was thought the dead man's power could be passed on.Once modified and decorated in line with tradition, the skulls became ormanents and would take pride of place in the Asmat long homes.They would also place the skulls under their heads like pillows or split them in half and use as a bowl for their regular diet of animal brains and sago worms.Thankfully the barbaric practices were stopped during the 1980s reports the Mirror.
The tribe - which built its settlements close to the river for prime attack positioning - would also take the lower jaw of their enemies along with other parts of the spine and adorn themselves with the grim pendants like trophies.After the death of another tribesperson, mourners would slice off the head of the deceased before removing the brain and eyes.They believed by plugging the nostrils and nasal areas, they could prevent evil spirits from entering the body.Chillingly there have been incidents where outsiders have been thought to stray into the path of the tribe.
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