The Donner Party

Cannibalism, the practice of eating the flesh of another human being, is not a simple subject and is certainly controversial. It is not too uncommon to find a human who desires the flesh of another, however, not all see it in the same way and share the same reasoning. This desire can be caused by the need for survival, ritual, or a longing for the taste of a human.

One of the most common causes for cannibalism is the basic need of hunger for survival. Whether stranded or simply without food, many are pushed to the point of having to eat the deceased. It is relatively simple to understand why people ate other humans in this scenario and is less taboo to do so. The incident of the “Donner Party” is a famous example (Grayson 152.) The party was

Tribal societies are stereotyped as sometimes performing cannibalistic rituals; however, stereotypes often have truths behind them. Many tribal groups still practice these behaviors for various reasons. Endocannibalism, or funerary cannibalism, is a common practice where the members of a tribe will eat their deceased for mourning or ritual reasons. The “Wari’” are an indigenous people of Brazil, living in seven villages in the Amazon rainforest. (Conklin p.1.) They were known to practice endocannibalism as a way of mourning their deceased relatives. When someone died, the body would be left for approximately three days until the closest kin were informed of their demise and came to the funeral. When all had arrived, the body was prepared respectfully. The mourning process included ritual wailing, roasting the corpse, and removing the internal organs. The flesh would be consumed afterwards, so the body’s spirit would be contained in the living relatives rather than wandering alone. The “Wari’” did not approve of the meat being eaten avidly, “as though it was game meat” as to not disrespect the dead; the eating process was even described as “unpleasant” to the people of the tribe. (Conklin p.1.)

The “Wari’” also practiced exocannibalism, the practice of consuming enemies or those outside of the same social group. (Conklin p.1.)The tribe was generally peaceful, but had waged multiple battles.