Thread: Why isn't cannibalism more common?

Originally Posted by Ferret

Have stayed in the back blocks of PNG. Fella in the local village told me in another village not far from where I was staying (~2 hours by foot) the sharman was eaten only 3-4 years ago. Old bloke in that village claims he's had black, white and yellow. White is said to be best I was told.

I had heard that too, was up the top of the Karawari River at Karawari Lodge (one of Bob Bates places) in the mid 80's and there was an old guy, Philip who was thought to be 80ish he was said to have been a headhunter. Could have just been a yarn for the tourists!

When very young, perhaps 6 or 7, and with my father in NZ, he asked a very old maori woman who had tattooing chiseled into he chin, if she'd eaten human flesh. She said 'Pakeha (white man) very salty'.
Don.

When I was in the Southern Highlands of PNG nearly fifty years ago, living in the Bosavi area, I was told that according to the government the last case of cannibalism was about 'ten years ago', but the resident anthropologist told us it was "four months ago".

In this area it was considered part of normal funerary customs.

Cannibalism, in my considered view, is uncommon, for two major reasons. The first one is social - people who habitually eat their neighbours make bad neighbours, and tend to get eliminated eventually. The second is a public health one - eating humans tends to spread disease (the example of Kuru is given above) but other diseases are more easily spread even if not exclusive to cannibalism, especially if the food is not well cooked.

John

Simple answer - we all have names.

Originally Posted by crash

Simple answer - we all have names.

Not when we are made into Soylent green.

Didn't the Maoris eat several English ships'crews?
I remember visiting the former Thai capital Ayutthaya which was besieged by a huge Burmese army in about 1767. After a long period the city residents ran out of food and some reports say they began eating each other.

The thing with humans is, it doesn't matter what colour the outside is, it's all still white meat.

Their was a Rugby team that ate some their teammates once.