One can say that these tribes took the art of head-hunting very seriously. Additionally, one would hope that this ancient and historical practice of decapitation was only intended for a beautiful reason like a reminder of a loved one or as a way to honor and preserve a beautiful face however we will learn this act of violence was intended for much deeper purposes. Head-Hunting was practiced for many reasons including humiliation of a rival, hierarchical status, a display of manliness and strength, to prove victorious, to capture the victim’s soul in the afterlife for slave duties, and ultimately and simply put as pure violence for a variety of reasons and rituals. There have been many studies on the head-hunting process and much interpretation. The 15 most vicious tribes that practiced head-hunting provoke the thought, “Are the tribes really vicious or are they really just performing their duties as citizens or judicial leaders of their political party?” Let’s face it in today’s society we may not hear much about beheading but we do have our fair share of vicious acts of violence from mass shootings, executions, terrorism, and even suicide bombers. Are today’s vicious act’s any different? Without further adieu, we take a look at the top tribes that gave new meaning to getting good head.

15. The Marind-Anim

The Marind-anim people resided in the South New Guinea; Papua province of Indonesia to be exact. They were characterized by a clan-system and sub clans within those systems. This is much like all of us. We have our squads which usually consist of our besties. We have our family which for the most part we roll with through anything. Speaking of family, the Manrind-anim really dig deep into the family tree. They go as far back as identifying their mythological ancestors who are their cultural heroes and are demon-like models. This tribe is famed for their sexual culture; oddly enough the blushing bride- to- be gets to sleep with her husband’s brothers before sleeping with the man of her dreams. As shocking as that may be they are notoriously known for their act of head-hunting and all because those wonderful skulls they possess hold the key to supernatural and magic powers.

14. Taiwanese Aborigines

Taiwanese Aborigines really took head-hunting to a new level. It was such a common practice that the victim’s heads were boiled, presumably for sterilization, and then left to dry from trees or on special nooks created for cranial display. This sounds like the method to make pork grinds. Becoming the proud owner of your very own head that you plucked all on your own is a cause for celebration among the Taiwanese Aborigines. Just like a four leaf clover, returning with a human head symbolized good luck was on the way. These head hunters would often perform raids on field workers either by striking them directly or by setting the field ablaze while watching their prey burn. Better yet behead the frazzled workers while they ran away from the flames. Their favorite victims were the Japanese. These head hunters do show some compassion for their victims; they accept the children of the headless as their own, welcoming them into the tribe and even allowing the dried heads into the tribe to watch over and keep them all safe like guardians.

13. The Igbo People

The Igbo People are native to south central and southeastern Nigeria. Like all of our tribes they are also diverse and multi-talented. The Igbo People work primarily as craftsmen, farmers, and traders with their most important crop being yams. The Igbo’s are the largest ethnic group in Africa and some may say they are more of a nation than an actual tribe. They do have a history in head-hunting and most known for committing the heinous act to gain social standing. That is right, if you show up with a human head you have certainly climbed the social ladder among the Igbo People. You were considered brave and a real man. On a more touching side, the act of head-hunting in this group served as a double edged sword. Basically, the Igbo People were found guilty of betraying their Earth Goddess. To clear their name and detox their souls the Igbo’s were to complete a serial of rituals before entering into the good graces of their nation. Like all Christian sinners, penance can’t erase what you have done but it certainly can grant you forgiveness. The Igbo’s seem to be an anomaly; head-hunters with a conscious.

12. The Wa Tribe

The Wa People are ethnic groups that reside mainly in Myanmar and China. Some were known as the Wet Heads and others as the Dry Heads. In terms of heads, Wet Heads does sound more forgiving. The Wet Heads were the manufacturers producing the heads up for grabs. The Dry Heads were the consumers who bought them for many reasons. The Dry Heads also enjoyed robbing graves as nothing is better than a well preserved decaying skull. Professionally, they are known as agriculturalists and breeders of water buffalos. The water buffalos were bred mostly to be sacrificed. They were once referred to as the Wild Wa for their less than predictable behaviors. The Wa People religiously believed in blood sacrifices for many occasions. Social gathering and celebrations were often focused on blood splattering moments. Their wild ways were just topped off with their desire to head hunt. The Wa People even had a specific season for head-hunting; gardening season. Yes, the Wa’s believed that the fresher the human head the better to receive rewards from the god of grain. The head collections were superb and were posted on stakes during harvest time. I am sure the wild birds steered clear of those scarecrows.

11. The Mizos

The Mizo people are native of north eastern India, Burma and Bangladesh. Today there are approximately 1 million Mizo’s of Mizoland and 5 million worldwide. They have come a very long way since their slicing and dicing head days. Head-hunting for young Mizo men was a way to prove how great of a warrior they were. The enemies of the Mizo’s would soon meet their demise and their heads would sit atop posts at village entry ways to let all those who enter know they were boss. It is a great achievement to bring home that frightened and pain stricken face. There were many good reasons for the Mizo people to capture the head of their enemies. In addition to proving how in charge they were, the award winning heads were a key to paradise after death and a way to attract the ladies and respect. These seem like logical reasons. Although, the Mizo’s may not be the most vicious on the list for the reasoning behind the great guillotine they do have the most psychological connection so far. They behead for love. The Mizo’s eventually became less involved in head-hunting over time and more inclined to women hunting and soul searching. Nothing is more of turn on then when a bad guy goes good.

10. The Naga People

The Naga People are a conglomerate like a major corporation. Just like in corporations, the Naga People felt a sense of accomplishment when heads rolled. The Naga People of Nagaland in North East India are fascinating. In Nagaland there are 17 tribes and the Konyaks are the most recognized and infamous due to their affection toward head-hunting. For these headhunters, decapitation was the ultimate honor and the more heads you have on your hands the more powerful of a warrior you have proven yourself to be. Not to mention holding that blood gushing head in your hands when you returned home was the way to the hearts of the most attractive tribal women. Head-hunting for the Naga people was a necessity in their society. If you are a Naga man, bringing your victims to the block was a sure sign that you have entered manhood and you were now eligible to hob knob with the A-List women. How romantic!

9. The Sumba People

The Sumba people call the island of Sumba in eastern Indonesia their home. There are four regencies of Sumba; West Sumba, East Sumba, Central Sumba, and Southwest Sumba. Overall Sumba is one of the poorest islands on Indonesia with a high malaria and infant mortality rate. These unfortunate standards do not compare with their fondness for practicing head-hunting. They ax heads for many different reasons but mainly to prove territorial takeover and as an act of vengeance. Like many of our other tribes they use these heads as ornaments and hang them from very scary trees. Santa will definitely not be placing a present under these trees as the Sumba head-hunters have all made the naughty list. Although, head-hunting is now just a part of the Sumba history they are proud of their decapitating past as Sumba junior high students attend a local institutions named after one of their beheading heroes. Could you imagine attending a Jeffery Dahmer Middle School in Milwaukee, WI? The United States has surely missed an opportunity here.

8. The Montenegrins

These South Slavic ethnic group natives to Montenegro are the People of the Black Mountain and they got around. They migrated to United States, to Australia, and beyond. A large percentage of the Montenegrins are primarily in Serbia and at the census they are declared as Serbs. They are recognized as warriors for centuries in history. It is no wonder that our most well known Montenegrin American, Milla Jovovich, kicks ass. Let’s not down play her killer performances in the Resident Evil franchise as Alice. These head-hunters believed that chopping off the head for their taking implied the transfer of the soul of the decapitated to its grim reaper. The Montenegrins showed off their prized possessions by carrying the dome by a lock of hair. This lovely lock was presumably just grown for this special purpose. I wonder if these locks could be color coordinated with their outfits.

7. The Maori

The Maori are Polynesians who arrived and settled in New Zealand. They were an isolated group for centuries that developed their own language, mythology, crafts, social customs, and were successful horticulturalists and fierce warriors. The Maori also practiced head-hunting and would preserve the heads of their victims. Preservation was an interesting process; they would remove the skull and then smoke the head. This preservation tactic often led to trading. The traded heads were usually hollow and your hand could fit into it. I am sure the Maori put on one gruesome ventriloquist act. Other than being known as head hunters, the Maori were also known for cannibalism. Although, they may not practice head hunting these days the Maori are out there trying to reclaim what they feel is rightfully theirs. They want the heads of their ancestors that are held in museums outside of New Zealand. Curators beware; you may have a head hunter lurking for their precious skulls.

6. The Shuar

The Shuar are members of the Jivaroan Peoples who are Amazonian tribes but they get their own spot on this list. The Shuar are natives of Ecuador and Peru making them our first Latino tribe to discuss. Why not squeeze these hunters into the current Latin explosion of today. Of course, the Shuar men do not hold a candle to the Latin men of today; Maluma, Bad Bunny, J Balvin. Do I need to say more? Like our Latin pop stars, these Shuar bad boys new how to really work their heads. The Shuar became famous for their process of shrinking heads. Many thought that these shrunken head were trophies but the Shuars made it very clear that they didn’t really find an interest in the actual head and they did not value them especially as trophies. Instead they wanted the souls of the victim which remained in the tight mini boulder. Shuar men believed the souls in these shrunken heads would allow them control over their wives and daughters labor. Well, what do you know? If only the Shuars had a little bit of game. Nowadays, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and many other Latin men can control women and some men if they choose to.

5. The Scythians

The Scythians also known as the Scyths are Iranian Eurasian nomads who lived north of the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains. They were barbaric headhunters and fancied scalping. This tribe practiced human sacrifices and enjoyed drinking their blood and getting their buzz on by drinking wine from the skulls they obtained from their sport. Among their many talents, the Scythians were known to be excellent horsemen and in a very medieval way attacked their prey while riding their trusty stallion. Interesting enough, there were no boundaries when it came to their prey as women and children could be on the chopping block. The Scythians were admired and feared for their extraordinary bravery in battle. To top things off they were huge believers in human sacrifice and even sacrificed other Scythians. While drinking wine from their goblet skulls the Scythians showed us all that they were culturally advanced and fashion forward as they were one of the only tribes that produced gold artifacts in shapes of animals. Apparently, they should be the recognized as the OG’s of animal print fashions!

4. Qin Soldiers

The Qin Soldiers represent one of the oldest mentions in history in regards to headhunting. Oddly enough, these ferocious fighters were out for heads and plenty of them as a way to not to be paid but to be freed from slavery. The wanted freedom for themselves and for their families and would do just about anything for it. Although, it is quite poetic that the reason behind their head collection was to ultimately get a life and declare their independence there was no shortage of cruelty when it came to their dismantling ways. When entering battle they often came for their opponent with a precious head already in their hands. It was a scare tactic and possibly a weapon. A human head on average weighs about 10 to 11 pounds. Now, pick up a 10 pound weight, imagine it getting chucked at you, and it actually makes contact. I can already see the bluebirds and stars chirping around my head. That has got to hurt. It is no wonder the Qin Soldiers terrified their opponents. The Qin also enjoyed ultimately embarrassing their victims by wearing their heads around their waist. The Qin Soldiers obviously are from China as we can tell with their waist bearing heads how ahead of the times they actually were. I picture these heads like satchels or even fanny packs. I can only imagine what they stored in their skull accessories.

3. The Celts

The Celts of Europe were often believed to head hunt for religious reasons but their conversion to Christianity did not change their head chopping hobby. Ancient Romans and Greeks claimed that the Celts would dangle their victims heads form their horses necks and even nail them to walls much like today’s hunters do when they kill a sweet Bambi. When they were victorious over a well established opponent they would take the prized head, embalm it in cedar oil, and display it for all to see. It was a conversation piece especially when engaging with strangers. The Celts were known as warriors, heavy drinkers, and they were having a party when they went to battle. It sounds like they were living it up as they decapitated their victims they sang the sweet song of victory. Their belief, like other tribes, was that the soul of a person lived in their head and not their heart.

2. The Jivaroan People

Yes, we did speak about one of the Jivaroan tribes earlier, the Shuars because they were the most vicious of the bunch, but the Jivaroan people consisted of many tribes and their main focus was head hunting and shrinking those heads. Let’s face it, shrinking heads is the ultimate transformation of a severed head. The Jivaroan people were famously known for their head hunting raids. With these raids they took it to the next level; kill the men, kill the older women, and take the younger women to be their brides. Of course, heads were collected and then they were shrunken. If you want to shrink a head all you have to do is remove the skull and jaw bone, boil it, mix it with gravel and sand, and voila you have a shrunken head the size of an orange. Lastly, you sew the lips and dye with charcoal. Unlike other tribes we mentioned, the Jivaroan men and women enjoyed hunting; they would shoot down animals with poisonous darts. Their hunting was not primarily for food though. Maybe killing a few animals was bonding time for the men and women; even couples counseling existing during these times.

1. Samurai

The most notable, maybe by notable I mean fan favorite, head-hunters on the list are the Samurai. These Japanese head-hunters may actually have made the top of the list since they are consistently trending and let’s face it there is something sexy about a Samurai and his big long sword. A Samurai has proven a job well done when his opponents head is firmly held in his hand like a basketball. They weren’t even gruesome about their head game. After a nice battle and victory prevailed, the Samurai collected their bodiless heads and went home to prepare for the serene head viewing. I picture it like Samurai on QVC, head after head after head all for audience to just call in and get the best deal while Samurai hopes to sell out. The head, like salon hair mannequins, is cleaned, styled, and even receives some cosmetic updates like blackening the teeth. The Samurai obviously do not understand the importance of whitening. In any case, the polished head is set up with its own wooden carry case and is tagged with the victim’s identity and the Samurai extraordinaire identity. The Samurai weren’t necessarily looking for monetary rewards for their trophies but more of recognition of being victorious. It is often up for debate that Samurai are a myth and not a reality. Either way, fiction or facts Samurai have no reason to kill and to chop off a human head which makes them the most vicious and enticing head-hunting athletes of them all.