This week social media has been buzzing about the Walking Dead and how cannibals may be entering the show soon. I started to ponder about cannibalism throughout our history and cultures. It is mostly based off of ritualistic, revengeful, or survivalistic reasons; With an exception of recent drug related cannibal attacks. the most commonly referenced are The Donner Party and various serial killers with a knack to eat their neighbors. I could talk for hours on end about Dahmer, Fish, Gein, and the Maurova family. Although, they are talked about quite often and one can only say so much about them.
There is one group you may or may not have ever heard of and that is the Wari' Tribe of South America. The Wari' people practiced two types of cannibalism. They took part in warfare, where they ate their enemies as a vengeful act. They also participated in what is called endo-cannibalism, more specifically mortuary cannibalism. When I first stumbled across the Wari' tribe my nose wrinkled and disgust set in. As I have studied more into this tribe I find myself vastly intrigued that these people can give such a heinous act a humanistic quality.
Once a member of the tribe passed away from natural causes, the tribe would leave the body to rest for three days in the exposed elements. This was to allow the members to gather and for respect of the body. By consuming the body, it showed the utmost respect for not only the deceased but the family as well.
After the third day the tribesmen would prepare the body of the deceased and begin to eat. The immediate family would not take part in the eating. During the ritual everyone would gather and most would take part in this cannibalistic act, most while sobbing and sharing stories of the loved one. In some cases, mainly children, the bones would be cooked down and grated to be placed in soup so that nothing would remain at all.
After the third day the tribesmen would prepare the body of the deceased and begin to eat. The immediate family would not take part in the eating. During the ritual everyone would gather and most would take part in this cannibalistic act, most while sobbing and sharing stories of the loved one. In some cases, mainly children, the bones would be cooked down and grated to be placed in soup so that nothing would remain at all.
You can imagine that most of these people suffered great illnesses due to eating the body. The body was subjected to amazon heat, humidity, and rain for three days leaving it a pool of bacteria.
The deceased would need to be completely consumed for a few of reasons. The first reason is for closure for the families by allowing them to consume their "grievances". They would be able to find a sense of closure by this participation. Also the mere thought of putting their loved one into the ground to rot was sickening, in fact the way our society views cannibalism is the way they view our burials. Lastly, their belief suggested that if they were entirely consumed their soul would be reincarnated into an animal (a boar more specifically) so that one day they can be captured and used to nourish their living relatives.
The Wari' were forced to give up their ritualistic tradition in the 1960's by the government. They have since taken up burials, much like what we are accustomed to now.
The deceased would need to be completely consumed for a few of reasons. The first reason is for closure for the families by allowing them to consume their "grievances". They would be able to find a sense of closure by this participation. Also the mere thought of putting their loved one into the ground to rot was sickening, in fact the way our society views cannibalism is the way they view our burials. Lastly, their belief suggested that if they were entirely consumed their soul would be reincarnated into an animal (a boar more specifically) so that one day they can be captured and used to nourish their living relatives.
The Wari' were forced to give up their ritualistic tradition in the 1960's by the government. They have since taken up burials, much like what we are accustomed to now.