Early Māori dried () and displayed the heads and practised cannibalism of fallen enemies. One possible motivation is that it was a reminder of the deceased, another as a trophy made from the heads of slain enemies. Another possibility was that it was a ritualistic way of capturing the enemies' , as heads of chiefs, in particular, were very . Heads might be returned in an effort to settle a tribal disagreement, but they were never traded. Later in their desire to obtain European muskets and powder in the 1820s, northern Māori produced a profusion of tattooed severed heads for sale to traders.