SCALPING. The common term for the practice of remov ing, as a trophy, a portion of the skin, "shell" or "sheath," with hair attached, from an enemy's head. The custom was not un known to the Old World, as it was mentioned by Herodotus as practised by the Scythians. It has been regarded, however, as a prevalent one among the American Indians, yet, contrary to the general belief, not all the tribes practised it by any means. Extended researches by Friederici indicate that in North America it was confined originally to a limited area in eastern United States and the lower St. Lawrence region, about equivalent to the territory held by the Iroquois and Muskhogean tribes and their neighbours. The custom was absent from New England and much of the Atlantic coast region, and was unknown until com paratively recent times throughout the interior and the Plains area; it was not practised on the Pacific coast, in the Canadian North-west nor in the Arctic region, nor anywhere south of the United States with the exception of an area in the Gran Chaco country of South America. Throughout most of America the early trophy was the head itself. The spread of the scalping practice over the greater part of central and western United States was stimulated by scalp-bounties offered by the colonial and more recent governments, the scalp itself being superior to the head as a trophy by reason of its lighter weight and greater adaptability to display and ornamentation.
The operation of scalping was painful, but by no means fatal. The impression that it was fatal probably arose from the fact that the scalp was usually taken from the head of a slain enemy as a trophy of his death, but among the Plains tribes the attack ing warrior frequently strove to overpower his enemy and scalp him alive, to inflict greater agony before killing him; and fre quently also a captured enemy was scalped alive and permitted to return to his people as a direct defiance and as an incitement to retaliation. The part taken was usually a small circular patch of skin at the root of the scalp-lock just back of the crown. The
scalp-lock itself was the small hair braid which hung from the back of the head, as distinguished from the larger side braids. When opportunity offered, the whole top skin of the head, with the hair attached, was removed, to be divided later into smaller locks for decorating the clothing of warriors. The operation was performed by making a quick knife stroke around the head of a fallen enemy, followed by a strong tug of the scalp-lock. The scalper was not necessarily he who had killed the victim; nor was the number of scalps, but rather the number of coups (i.e., "strokes" or acts of bravery in battle), the measure of the war rior's prowess. The fresh scalp was sometimes offered with prayer as a sacrifice to the sun, the water or some other divinity. When preserved for a time, as was most usual, the scalp was cleaned of the loose flesh and then stretched by means of sinew cords around the circumference within a hoop about six inches in diameter, tied at the end of a rod. When dry the skin side was painted either entirely red, or one half red and the other half black, and the hair was usually carefully braided and embellished with various ornaments. It was carried thus by the women in the triumphal scalp or victory dance on the return of a success ful war-party to the home camp, and then, having served its first ose was retained as a bridle pendant by the warrior, de posited with the tribal "medicine," or thrown away in some se cluded spot. This may be regarded as the typical treatment; but scalp customs varied from tribe to tribe, as likewise did the associated beliefs and rites. The custom is involved with that of decapitation, the severing of parts of the body, such as fingers, etc., as war trophies, and the shrinking of the heads of enemies as among the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador.
See G. Friederici, Skalpieren and ahnliche Kriegsgebrauche in Amer ike (Brunswick, 1906), with extended bibliography, and summar ized in Ann. Rep. Smithsonian Inst. for 1906 (Washington, 1907).
(F. W. H.)