Human cannibalism


  • Anthropophagy
  • Cannibalism

Human cannibalism
Human cannibalism (wikipedia.org)

Description

Human cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings. A person who practices cannibalism is called a cannibal. The meaning of "cannibalism" has been extended into zoology to describe animals consuming parts of individuals of the same species as food. Both anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals practised cannibalism to some extent in the Pleistocene, and Neanderthals may have been eaten by modern humans as the latter spread into Europe. Cannibalism was occasionally practised in Egypt during ancient and Roman times, as well as later during severe famines. The Island Caribs of the Lesser Antilles, whose name is the origin of the word cannibal, acquired a long-standing reputation as eaters of human flesh, reconfirmed when their legends were recorded in the 17th century. Some controversy exists over the accuracy of these legends and the prevalence of actual cannibalism in the culture. Cannibalism has been well documented in much of the world, including Fiji (once nicknamed the "Cannibal Isles"), the Amazon Basin, the Congo, and the Māori people of New Zealand. Cannibalism was also practised in New Guinea and in parts of the Solomon Islands, and human flesh was sold at markets in some parts of Melanesia and of the Congo Basin. A form of cannibalism popular in early modern Europe was the consumption of body parts or blood for medical purposes. Reaching its height during the 17th century, this practice continued in some cases into the second half of the 19th century. Cannibalism has occasionally been practised as a last resort by people suffering from famine. Well-known examples include the ill-fated Donner Party (1846–1847) and the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 (1972), after which the survivors ate the bodies of the dead. Additionally, there are cases of people engaging in cannibalism for sexual pleasure, such as Albert Fish, Issei Sagawa, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Armin Meiwes. Cannibalism has been both practised and fiercely condemned in recent several wars, especially in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was still practised in Papua New Guinea as of 2012, for cultural reasons. Cannibalism has been said to test the bounds of cultural relativism because it challenges anthropologists "to define what is or is not beyond the pale of acceptable human behavior". A few scholars argue that no firm evidence exists that cannibalism has ever been a socially acceptable practice anywhere in the world, but such views have been largely rejected as irreconcilable with the actual evidence.
Source: Wikipedia

Background

The practice of cannibalism goes back to early history and was found on all continents. The term is derived from a Spanish form of Carib, an early West Indian tribe of cannibals.

Incidence

Cannibalism is still occasionally practised among tribes in interior New Guinea and prevailed until recently in parts of west and central Africa, Melanesia (especially Fiji), Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia (especially Sumatra), and North and South America. Reports circulated in recent years have implicated several heads of state in cannibalistic rites. Cannibalism is occasionally reported in the case of people marooned without food, isolated in a grounded aircraft in subarctic conditions, refugees and shipwreck survivors at sea without food, or prisoners of war left to starve. Incidences are also reported in connection with severe famine conditions although, as in the case of the famine in the Ukraine in the 1930s or the siege of Leningrad, efforts are made by the authorities to suppress such information. The probability of cannibalism increases amongst the civilian population in war zones in the event of extended disruption of food supplies. Psychologically disturbed individuals have been known to kill and eat victims, for example, a Japanese university student in Paris killed and ate a Dutch woman student at the same university. There are occasional reports of cannibalism in connection with satanic rituals. In 1993 it was alleged that some of Mao Tse Tung's supporters during the Cultural Revolution practised cannibalism as an ultimate affirmation of the defeat of their political enemies.

Counter claim

  1. Cannibalism may be the only recourse for people subject to a long period without food. Recent research has questioned the authenticity of missionary reports of cannibalism in Africa arguing that incidences were exaggerated by missionaries endeavouring to illustrate the contrast resulting from their intervention. Such research questions how such practices came to be given up so easily if they were socially approved rather than aberrant. When it occurred it may largely have been a symptom of social breakdown. Whilst cannibalism certainly existed, the existence of tribes whose favourite food was human flesh is a fiction invented by Europeans.

  2. For people who have been brought up with the concept of éducation civilatrice, it is almost impossible to imagine that other people might have found the taste of human flesh, not only delicious but also full of eucharisitic power. It is difficult for them to imagine that there are people who find their habits of eating pork or beef equally disgusting.

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