Scalping is the brutal custom of taking off the scalp of an enemy by force for the purpose of making a trophy out of it. Most of the time, the removal is performed with a knife. Most of us probably know this custom from western movies and books about Indians because Indians were known for performing scalping on white settlers.
The scalp was particularly considered a symbol of fertility for the Indians practicing agriculture in North America. It was attached to branches and then positioned around the fields in order to bless the soil. The Aztec warriors in Central America used scalps in order to show how powerful they were. There are rumors of warriors that made entire coats made of human scalps and skin. There were other militant indigenous tribes that followed the Aztec’s example. When white settlers came to America, scalping became a common practice in order to fan fear amongst the white enemies. However, it also became common amongst white people to take the scalps of Indians to receive so-called scalp bounties.
However, the custom of scalping is not limited to North America and its indigenous peoples. In ancient times, the Greek told stories of savage war-loving horse peoples living at the Black Sea. Nowadays, these peoples are called Scythians. They too took the scalps of beaten enemies and made cloaks and horse blankets out of these. Even in the Roman Empire, this brutal custom spread amongst Northern tribes.
Because scalping was a custom already practiced in ancient Europe, a theory emerged in the 60ies that says that the Indians acquired this practice from the whites. However, this theory is considered wrong by most historians nowadays.
Whatsoever, scalping is definitely one of the most brutal practices of human warfare because scalping was performed while the victim was of sound mind…
