Tsanta Sideshow Gaff

A tsanta is a traditional trophy of the Jivaro people of South America, made from the heads of slain enemies.  At least, that's how things were before contact with Europeans.  After that, the foreign demand for the unusual oddities turned their production from a matter of ritualized vendetta killings to commercial gain.  Eventually, the tribe figured out that using animal heads to create fake versions was far more lucrative, and safer, than the old way of doing things.  Which lead to the Europeans of the 18th and 19th centuries making their own copies of the Jivaro fake versions to meet demand.

It's a funny old world, ain't it?

This example of a traditional sideshow-style shrunken head gaff comes to us from Albino Alligator.