A ‘mokomokai’ (preserved head) of a Maori warrior.
To the Maori people of New Zealand, facial tattoos (moko) were considered a sacred part of a person’s identity, and preserving them after death was considered an honor for the deceased.
After battle, the Maori would decapitate a warrior who fought bravely, remove the brain and eyes, and boil the head at low heat for a number of days. They would then smoke the head over an open fire until the skin was completely dried out, and tan it in the sun.
Someone better keep my head after death.
thefancywalrus 