Cannibalism in Africa. Wild tribes of cannibals

Show for skull lovers

The jungles of the Indonesian island of Kalimantan (Borneo) are inhabited by the Dayak tribes, who are known as skull hunters and cannibals. They consider such parts of the human body as delicacies such as the penis, tongue, cheeks, skin from the chin, brain, mammary glands, meat from the thighs and calves, feet, palms, as well as the heart and liver.
At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, the country's government tried to organize the colonization of the island by relocating residents of Java and Madura there. But most of the settlers and the soldiers accompanying them were killed and eaten by the natives.
Tula resident Vladislav Anikeev always dreamed of visiting a tribe of cannibals. One day his dream came true. He went to Kalimantan!
A group of tourists found themselves in a village whose inhabitants were cannibals. Representatives of the local population willingly told the guests the details of the inhumane trade and shared the secrets of the technology for processing skulls. It looked like this. First, the skin was removed from the head of the dead man and kept in hot sand for a long time.
Then came the cosmetic work: the skin was corrected: where necessary, they tightened or removed folds. The exhibits were displayed on stakes. Hospitable aborigines even offered to buy “souvenirs” made from human remains... They explained the need to eat their enemies with an ancient belief: they say, having tasted human meat, you get everything best qualities sacrifices: strength, intelligence, ingenuity, determination, courage.
Tourists from distant Russia listened silently and stared at the terrible “souvenirs”. Only Vladislav began to pester the leader of the tribe, who was sitting importantly on a mat in the bungalow, with questions.
Before leaving, he wanted to talk to the leader again and looked into the hut. Imagine Anikeev’s surprise when he found the head of the cannibal tribe pulling on a T-shirt and jeans! Explaining to him in a terrible mixture of English, French and German, but mainly with the help of gestures, the Russian traveler found out facts that greatly disappointed him. It turned out that everything that was recently shown to them was nothing more than a show to attract tourists! Hunting for skulls has been strictly prohibited since 1861. But the tribe, which over the years has become quite civilized, receives good dividends from the bloodthirsty customs of its ancestors. True, according to the leader, in some places in remote villages people are still gobbled up, although this entails severe punishment. However, tourists are not taken there: after all, to eat white man Among the Kalimantan savages it is considered the highest achievement.

Kill Kahua

In the jungles of New Guinea, the Korowai tribe, numbering about 4,000 people, lives in trees. Often members of the tribe die from various infections, but people think that the deceased became victims of Kahua - a mystical creature that is supposedly capable of taking on human form. Kahua is believed to eat the entrails of its prey while it sleeps.
Before death, a person usually whispers the name of the one under whose guise Kahua is hiding. It is clear that this could be any of the neighbors. After which the friends and relatives of the deceased go to the named, kill him and eat the entire body, with the exception of bones, teeth, hair, nails and genitals.
They are also wary of whites. They are called laleo ("demon ghost").
In 1961, Michael Rockefeller, son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, went to study the Korowai tribe and disappeared. There is a version that he was eaten by savages.

Heartbreakers and Leopards

Most cases of cannibalism occur in Africa. In the Republic of the Congo, such episodes were often recorded during the period civil war 1997-1999. But this continues to happen today. For example, in 2014, a mob stoned, then burned and ate a man who was accused of being an Islamic rebel.

Do you know that…

In northern India, there is a sect of “chosen people of the god Shiva”, the Aghori, who practice eating human entrails. Members of this sect also eat decaying corpses caught from the sacred Ganges River.

Congolese believe that eating the heart of an enemy, cooked with special herbs, gives a person strength, courage and energy.
The most famous tribe of cannibals in western Africa call themselves the Leopards. Members of the tribe dress in leopard skins and arm themselves with animal fangs.
Until the 80s of the last century, human remains were found near the habitats of the Leopards. Perhaps such cases occur today. Savages are convinced that by eating the flesh of another person, you will gain his qualities, you will become faster and stronger.

Cannibalism by order

Until 1960, the Brazilian Wari tribe ate the flesh of the dead, who were distinguished by their religiosity and piety during their lifetime. But it was almost completely destroyed by some missionaries. However, even today in the slums of the municipality of Olinda there are cases of cannibalism. This is explained by the extremely low standard of living, poverty and constant hunger.
In 2012, researchers conducted a survey among the local population, and many reported hearing voices ordering them to kill this or that person and eat him.

Who ate the Indians?

Several years ago, traces of an ancient cannibal feast were discovered in southwestern North America. The Indian settlement of Cowboy Wash in Colorado was abandoned by its inhabitants around 1150. It consisted of only three earthen huts. During excavations, archaeologists came across seven dismembered skeletons. The bones and skulls were separated from the flesh, scorched in a fire and split, probably to extract the brain matter. Bone fragments were in cooking pots. On the walls of the hearths there were stains that looked like blood; in one of them there was a piece of hardened mass that resembled dried human excrement in appearance.
Laboratory research revealed that the found artifacts contain protein, chemical composition which corresponds to human. This clearly indicates cannibalism. Thus, researchers received the first indisputable evidence of the existence of cannibalism among the Anasazi Indians, who once inhabited the territories of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Dayak tribal leader with spear and shield

Scientists, however, although they acknowledge the fact of cannibalism, believe that the findings at Cowboy Wash do not yet explain who practiced it and why. The fact is that indirect evidence that researchers have so far come across suggests that the Anasazi ate exclusively the meat of their fellow tribesmen and most often during religious rituals. The inhabitants of Cowboy Wash were clearly killed by strangers.
The Anasazi - these include the Hopi, Zuni and other tribes that lived in those places - represent one of the most mysterious Indian cultures. They were by no means primitive savages - they managed to build a network of roads and ritual centers throughout the southwest.
Forty miles east of Cowboy Wash are the ruins of the lost city of Mesa Verde, surrounded by sheer cliffs and aqueducts. Meanwhile, most of the Anasazi lived in huts, growing corn and hunting wild animals. The Cowboy Wash dugouts contain pottery, grinding stones, Jewelry and other items of archaeological value.
Some historians suggest that local Indians were sacrificed as prisoners of war. Others claim that they were burned for witchcraft. And an archaeologist from the University of South Carolina, Brian Billman, hypothesized that the unfortunate Indians were destroyed and eaten by unknown attackers who planned to profit from their goods. What they could not carry with them had to be left in the huts. One way or another, the mystery of those long-ago events in Cowboy Wash has not yet been revealed.

Amasanga scoured the Internet and found a pop article about historical and modern cannibalism in Africa. And I decided to post it in order to shock the reader with a fine mental organization.

PS
I saw interesting photographs from Angola in the late 80s - early 90s of the 20th century.
P.P.S.
About cannibalism among the Indian peoples of the Amazon (in historical period) Amasanga wrote

No other continent hides as many mysteries, mysteries, and unknowns as Africa. The fabulous, rich nature and amazing fauna of the “dark continent” with the many-sided, diverse world of African aborigines has always aroused and arouses admiration, surprise, fear and inexplicable undying interest in the soul of an inquisitive person.
Africa is a continent of contrasts. Here you can see the centers of the modern, so-called civilized world and immediately plunge into the depths of the primitive communal system. They don't know wheels here yet. Shaman healers rule. Polygamy prevails. The population is divided along tribal lines. Separatism, black racism and tribalism are present. People are monstrously superstitious. Behind the outer façade of the white-stone capitals, primitive wildness reigns.
One of the dark, black secrets of tropical and southern Africa is cannibalism - cannibalism. Eating your own kind.
Belief in the effective influence of human flesh and blood is characteristic of many African tribes. Civil wars and fierce tribal clashes have always provoked the production of courage-stimulating potions from human flesh. Often it became widespread.
In the languages ​​of African aborigines, this drug is called “diretlo” or “ditlo” and, according to ancient customs, is prepared from the heart (sometimes the liver) of the enemy, in order to thereby adopt his courage, courage and heroism.
The heart was ground into powder, from which potions were prepared. Pieces of human meat were burned over a fire with medicinal herbs and other ingredients until the result was a charred mass, which was churned and mixed with animal or human fat. It turned out something like a black ointment. This substance, called lenaka, was placed in a hollow goat's horn. It was used to strengthen the body and spirit of warriors before battle, to protect their native village, and to counter the spells of enemy magicians.
In past times, this drug was prepared mainly from the flesh of foreigners, especially captives. Nowadays, to obtain a special drug called “diretlo”, it is necessary to cut the flesh of a living person in a certain order, and the victim is selected from among his fellow tribesmen by the healer of this tribe, who discerned the necessary qualities in this person. magical abilities, necessary for the preparation of a potent drug.
Sometimes even a relative of one of the ritual participants may be chosen. No details regarding the chosen victim are ever given to anyone. This is decided by the healer - omurodi. The entire ritual is performed in deep secrecy.
To prepare "diretlo" it is necessary not only to cut off the flesh of a living person, but then to kill him and first hide the corpse in secret place, and then move it somewhere away from the village.
Here is one example of such a ritual. A group of blacks led by Omurudi came to the hut of the one chosen for ritual murder. He, not knowing anything, went outside with them. He was immediately captured. The protesters remained deathly silent. The unfortunate man shouted that he would give everything he had if only he would be released. He was quickly gagged and dragged away from the village.
Having found a more secluded place, the blacks quickly stripped the doomed man naked and laid him on the ground. An oil lamp immediately appeared, by the light of which the executioners, deftly wielding knives, cut off several pieces of meat from the victim’s body. One chose the calf of the leg, the second - the biceps on the right arm, the third cut a piece from the right chest, and the fourth - from the groin. They laid out all these pieces on a white rag in front of the omurodi, who was to prepare the necessary potion. One of the group collected the blood flowing from the wounds into a pot. Another, pulling out a knife, tore off all the flesh from the face to the bones - from the forehead to the throat, cut out the tongue and gouged out the eyes.
But their victim died only after she was slashed in the throat with a sharp knife.
Nowadays, all Africans understand that a magical potion made from human flesh is not capable of ensuring victory in a civil war, but nevertheless it is widely used as a way to increase intrigue and behind-the-scenes maneuvers.
Instead of enemy prisoners, the victims are now members of the same tribe - quite rare form human sacrifices, for which previously only strangers, slaves, captives were required, but in no case fellow tribesmen.
The scale of such ritual murders unknown Everything happens in the deepest secrecy, even from the residents of the villages where they are carried out. Currently, there is already an opinion among African aborigines that ritual killings are not “ritual” to the end, and therefore are not real human sacrifices. However, the choice of victim, the method of killing and disposal of the corpse convince us that a carefully developed ritual accompanies each stage of the preparation of the drug.
Belief in the effective influence of human flesh and blood in tropical and south africa common to many tribes. For them, human meat turned into a spell not only gives the desired privileges to representatives of the highest African nobility, but also influences the gods, encouraging them not to skimp on the fat harvest.
This is how the anthropologist and ethnographer Herbert Ward, who studied this region well, described the slave markets on the tributaries of the Lualaba River.
Perhaps the most inhumane practice among native tribes should be considered the tearing of pieces of flesh from a living victim. Cannibals become like a hawk pecking out the flesh of its prey.
Incredible as it may seem, captives are usually led from one place to another in front of those hungry for their meat, who, in turn, special signs mark those tidbits that they would like to buy. This is usually done either with clay or with strips of fat glued to the body.
The stoicism of these unfortunate victims, in front of whose eyes there is a brisk trade in their body parts, is amazing! It can only be compared with the doom with which they meet their fate."
- Do you eat human flesh here? - Ward asked in one of the villages, pointing to long spits strewn with meat over smoking fires.
- We’re eating, aren’t you? - came the answer.
A few minutes later, the leader of the tribe came out and offered a whole dish of large fried pieces of meat, which was undoubtedly human. He was terribly upset when he received Ward's refusal.
Once upon a time in big forest, when Ward's expedition settled down for the night with a group of captured slave warriors and their fellow tribesmen, the whites were forced to change the place, as they were bothered by the sickening smell of fried human meat, which was being cooked everywhere on fires.
The leader explained to the whites that the conditions for devouring a human victim depended on what it was. If it was a captive, then only the leader ate the corpse, and if it was a slave, then the corpse was divided among the members of his tribe.
As for mass ritual killings in Africa, they were the exception rather than generally accepted rule. The essence of Zimbabwean ritual human sacrifice was that it required the death of one person, rather than the mass destruction of people.
Cannibalism is far from dead in Africa. In our time, the ruler of Uganda, educated in the West, turned out to be a “civilized” cannibal who ate more than fifty of his fellow tribesmen.
It is absolutely impossible to exercise any control over the aborigines in the deep jungle. Because of false modesty and a reluctance to appear savage, the authorities hide the true picture of cannibalism.
In the north of Angola, on the border with Zaire, such an incident occurred. One provincial policeman (chief), standing on the threshold of his house and listening in the night to the booming long voice of a tom-tom, remarked: “They are probably cutting someone up there.” - “Why aren’t you doing anything?” - we asked. - “If I send one of my assistants there, he will only pretend that he has been there. He will not stick his nose there, fearing that he himself will end up on a spit. We can do something if we have evidence on our hands and we will find human bones. But they know how to get rid of them too.”
In the seventies of the twentieth century, during the liberation struggle of the movement (later the party) for the liberation of Guinea-Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands from the Portuguese colonialists, the rebels had to escape from the attacks of Portuguese troops to the north, to Senegal. In order not to lose mobility, they left the wounded in the settlements of friendly tribes. But, returning again to Guinea-Bissau, they did not find the wounded soldiers left behind. There were many such cases.
And then the leader of Paigk Amilcar Cabral ordered to dig up the places where, according to the aborigines, they buried the dead. They found nothing there. The Africans admitted that “they ate them.” Bones and skulls were found outside the settlement boundaries. The rebels shot the cannibals with machine guns and burned all the settlements.
The authorities have to fight cannibalism, but despite all efforts, some tribes continue this monstrous practice. Some blacks have sharpened teeth - a sign of cannibalism. This was also pointed out by 19th century anthropologists who explored the Lualaba basin. Where the “sharp-toothed ones” live, it was not possible to find at least one grave anywhere nearby - very eloquent proof of this.
The custom of eating the dead was widespread among all the clans of the large Bogesu tribe (region of the Ubangi River). Eating was carried out during the period intended for mourning the dead.
The deceased remains in the house until evening. Relatives called for this occasion gather to mourn him. In some special cases, such gatherings took a day or even two, but usually they got by with one day. At sunset, the corpse was carried to the nearest vacant lot and laid on the ground. At this time, the clan members hid around in the bushes, and when the darkness deepened, they began to blow their gourd horns, creating a noise similar to the howls of jackals. Villagers were warned about the appearance of “jackals,” and young people were strictly forbidden to leave their homes. With the onset of complete darkness, a group of old women, relatives of the deceased, approached the corpse and dismembered it, taking the best pieces with them and leaving the inedible parts to be torn apart by wild animals.
Over the next three to four hours, relatives mourned the deceased. After this, all participants in the ceremony cooked his meat and ate it, after which they burned his bones at the stake, leaving no traces of him.
Widows, however, burned their grass loincloths and either went naked or covered themselves with the small aprons they usually wore. unmarried girls. After this ceremony, widows again became free, able to get married. Such a ceremony was observed in one of the settlements in northern Angola. Very similar story Cubans who fought as part of an expeditionary force against Zairean troops in the north and northeast of Angola spoke about cannibal rituals. Members of the tribe explained the custom of eating their dead as follows. If, they said, you bury a dead person in the ground and, as is usually done, allow him to decompose, then his spirit will annoy everyone in the area: it will take revenge for the fact that the corpse is allowed to rot in peace.
And this is how the burial of a dead African goes. The deceased's legs were bent, and the crossed arms were extended along the body in front of him, which was done even before death. The corpse was tied in such a position that it would not straighten, and with the onset of rigor, all its members would harden. All jewelry was removed from the deceased. The grave was usually dug here, in the hut, and the body was lowered into it on an old mat or skin, and in a sitting position. The grave was then filled up. Women were buried outside the hut. The corpse was laid on its back, its legs were bent, and its arms were pulled from both sides to the head.
The brother of the deceased immediately took all his widows to him, but left one of them in the hut so that she would look after the fresh grave for a month (lunar month), and everyone else had to carry out the daily program of mourning the deceased with screams and heartbreaking cries. The mourners ate meat, then washed, shaved their heads and cut their nails. The hair and nails of each participant in the ceremony were placed in a bundle, which was hung from the roof of the hut. At this point the mourning ceremony ended, and no one else paid any attention to this place, although, of course, everyone was sure that the spirit of the dead man was wandering somewhere nearby.
A dug grave inside the hut, which was then collapsed on it, can, of course, to some extent explain the phenomenon of why no burial sites can be discovered. In the past, travelers also encountered this, from which they drew a completely reasonable conclusion: African tribes supported an ancient custom obliging them to eat their dead relatives on the spot.
The practice of cannibalism in some regions of Africa was secretive and secret, while in others, on the contrary, it was open and amazing. Anthropologists managed to collect great amount facts. Here are some examples.
The aborigines of the Ganavuri tribe (Blue Mountains region), for example, tore the meat from the bodies of their defeated enemies, leaving only the entrails and bones. They returned home with pieces of human meat on the tips of their spears, where they handed the booty into the hands of the priests, who were supposed to fairly divide it among the old people. The most noble of the elders received the flesh torn from his head. To do this, the hair of the victim was cut off from the head, then the stripped meat, cut into strips, was cooked and eaten near the sacred stone.
But no matter how the young members of the tribe showed themselves in battle, they were strictly forbidden to take part in such a feast.
The Ganavuri tribe usually limited themselves to eating the dead bodies of enemies killed on the battlefield. These savages never deliberately killed their women. However, the neighboring Ataka tribe did not disdain the female flesh of their enemies; another tribe, the Tantales, engaged in “skull hunting,” “specialized” in consuming meat cut from women’s heads.
Cannibals from the Kohleri ​​tribe tried to eat as many corpses of their enemies as possible. They were so bloodthirsty that they killed and immediately ate any stranger, both white and black, if he suddenly found himself on their territory.
The cannibals from the Gorgum tribe usually waited two days after their warriors returned with the spoils and only then began their cannibalistic feast. The heads were always boiled separately from the rest of the body, and no warrior was allowed to eat the flesh from the head unless he personally killed that enemy during the battle. The rest of the human flesh was not of such great importance, and all fellow tribesmen - men, women and children - could feast on it. In this tribe, even the entrails were eaten after they were separated from the body, washed, and cleaned with a mixture of ash and herbs in water.
The cannibals of the Sura tribe (Aruvimi River) added salt and vegetable oil to the meat of their victims when cooking and made more extensive use of the age limit of their victims. They did not allow any woman of their tribe to even look at human flesh, but they fed boys and young men, even by force, if they refused to eat, since, according to the elders, this instilled in them more courage and courage.
The Anga tribe refused to eat the meat of boys and young men, because, in their opinion, they had not yet developed any special virtues suitable for passing on to others. They didn’t eat old people either, for the reason that if they mature years and they were brave and courageous people, skilled trackers, then with age all their best qualities clearly fell into decline.
Some of these cannibalistic tribes had a fairly well-developed "penal code" associated with their cannibalistic practices. In the Anga tribe, it was allowed to eat the flesh of a fellow tribesman if he was found to be a criminal and sentenced to death. The cannibals of the Sura tribe ate the flesh of their fellow tribeswoman if she committed adultery.
The Warawa tribe were ready to sacrifice any member of the clan who in any way violated the law, and such punishment was accompanied by an elaborate ritual. The culprit was not just killed, but sacrificed. Blood was pumped out of him for a kind of Eucharist (communion), and only after that his flesh was transferred for consumption to members of the tribe.
Some tribes had a slightly different motivation, not as “ignoble” in nature as a brutal passion for human flesh. They had deeply rooted superstitions: by eating the head and other parts of the body, they supposedly destroyed the spirit of the victim, depriving her of the opportunity to take retribution, to return from the other world to harm those who were still here. Although it was believed that the victim's spirit resided in her head, there were suspicions that it could, if necessary, move from one part of the body to another. Hence the desire to destroy the entire victim without a trace.
But there was another belief. Members of the Anga tribe usually ate their old people, who had not yet reached senile dementia and were showing their physical and physical abilities to the proper extent. mental capacity. The family that made the fatal decision turned to a man living on the outskirts of the settlement with a request to take upon himself the execution of the unspoken sentence and even offered him payment for this.
After killing a person, his body was eaten, but the head was carefully kept in a pot, in front of which various sacrifices were subsequently made, prayers were said, and all this was done quite often.
The Jorgum and Tangale tribes (Niger River) practiced the most primitive form of cannibalism. An unquenchable passion for human flesh, coupled with no less strong passion retribution played an important role. The people of this tribe even had ritual prayer, in which they expressed their hatred of their enemies and shameful passion for human flesh, which excited them even more.
Cannibalism is in no way connected with the level of development of a particular tribe or with its “moral standards”. It was widespread even among those tribes that had the most high level development. (Tribes such as the Herero and Maasai never engaged in cannibalism, as they were pastoralists. They had enough meat from livestock)
Cannibals stated that they ate human flesh only because they liked to eat meat, with the African aborigine preferring human flesh because of its greater juiciness. The biggest delicacy was considered to be the palms of the hands, fingers and toes, and the woman's breasts. The younger the victim, the softer its meat. Human meat is the most delicious, followed by monkey meat.
Some Nigerian tribes were distinguished by their ferocious cruelty. The cannibals of the Bafum-Banso tribe often tortured captives before death. They boiled palm oil and, using a gourd used as an enema, poured the boiling contents either down the unfortunate man's throat into his stomach, or through the anus into his intestines. In their opinion, after this the meat of the captives became even more tender, even juicier. The bodies of the dead lay for a long time until they were soaked through with oil, after which they were dismembered and greedily eaten.
In the heart of equatorial Africa lies the basin of the great Congo River (Lualaba). Many, many travelers, missionaries, anthropologists, and ethnographers devoted themselves to exploring this area. One of them, James Dennis, said in his Travel Notes: “In central Africa, from the east to the west coasts, especially up and down the numerous tributaries of the Congo River, cannibalism is still practiced, which is accompanied by brutal cruelty. Almost all tribes in the Congo Basin are either cannibals or until recently were, and among some the disgusting practice is on the rise.
Those tribes that had never been cannibals until that time, as a result of constantly growing conflicts with the cannibals around them, also learned to eat human flesh.
It is interesting to note the predilections of different tribes for different parts of the human body. Some cut long, strip-like pieces from the victim's thigh, legs or arms; others prefer the hands and feet, and although the majority do not eat the head, I have not met a single tribe that disdains this part of the human body. Many people also use the innards, believing that they contain a lot of fat.
A person with eyes will certainly see terrible human remains either on the road or on the battlefield, with the difference, however, that on the battlefield the remains are waiting for jackals, and on the road where the tribal camps are located with their smoking fires, there are a lot of white broken , cracked bones - all that remains from the monstrous feasts.
During my travels through this country, what struck me most was the enormous number of partially mutilated bodies. Some corpses were missing arms and legs, others had strips of meat cut from their thighs, and still others had their entrails removed. No one could escape such a fate - neither a young man, nor women, nor children. All of them indiscriminately became victims and food for their conquerors or neighbors."
The cannibals of the Bambala tribe considered human meat a special delicacy if it had lain buried in the ground for several days, as well as human blood mixed with cassava flour. Women of the tribe were forbidden to touch human flesh, but they still found many ways to get around such a “taboo”, and carrion extracted from graves, especially those that reached high degree decomposition.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Catholic missionaries who spent many years in the Congo told how cannibals many times turned to the captains of ships plying along the river from the mouth of the right tributary of Mobangi (Ubangi) to Stanley Falls, so that they would sell them their sailors or those , who constantly worked on the ocean coast.
“You eat chickens, other poultry, goats, and we eat people, why not?”
One of the leaders of the Liboko tribe, when asked about the consumption of human flesh, exclaimed:
- Ay! If it were up to me, I would devour every last one on this earth!
In the Mobangi River basin, cannibals organize surprise raids on settlements scattered on both banks of the river, capturing the inhabitants and enslaving them. The captives are fed for slaughter, like cattle, and then transported up the river in several canoes. There, cannibals exchanged live goods for ivory.
The new owners, resellers, kept their slaves so that they had a decent, “marketable appearance”, after which they killed them, dismembered the corpses and sold the meat by weight. If the market was oversaturated, then they kept some of the meat, smoked it over the fire, or buried it to the depth of a spade bayonet near a small fire. After this treatment, the meat could be stored for several weeks and sold without any haste. The cannibal bought a leg or other part separately, cut it into pieces and fed them to his wives, children and slaves."
This is a picture of the daily life of thousands and thousands of people in black Africa at the beginning of the 20th century. Missionaries who spread the new faith among the natives of Africa claimed that the newly converted cannibals began to lead a righteous, quiet Christian life.
But there were few of them. One talkative savage, when asked why he eats human flesh, answered indignantly:
“You white people consider pork the most delicious meat, but it can be compared with human flesh.” Human meat tastes better, and why can’t you eat what you especially like? Well, why are you attached to us? We also buy our live meat and kill it. What do you care about this?
In conversation with a missionary local admitted that he had recently killed and eaten one of his seven wives: “She, a scoundrel, violated the law of family and tribe!” And he feasted gloriously with the rest of the wives, filling himself with her meat for edification.
In East Africa, cannibalism existed until recently, as the authorities of the countries of this region say, but it was accompanied by much less cruelty and atrocities compared to cannibalism in equatorial Africa, especially in its western part.
Cannibal customs in eastern Africa are characterized by some kind of “domestic” economy. The flesh of old people, sick people, incapable of anything, was dried and stored with almost religious reverence in the family pantry. It was offered as a sign of special attention, as a delicacy, to guests. Refusal to eat was perceived as a mortal insult, and agreement to accept the offer meant an intention to further strengthen the friendship.
No doubt, many travelers to East Africa, for the above reasons, had to try this food. And here you shouldn’t be a hypocrite. How else can one explain the fact that expeditions consisting of several whites could freely cover vast distances across eastern and equatorial Africa, inhabited by savage, bloodthirsty tribes who ate their own kind as a matter of course?
How to explain all this? During their travels, they were actively helped by the indigenous population. What was their friendship based on? On strict adherence to local traditions and customs. Anyone who has been lucky enough to visit the African outback knows this firsthand.
In their memoirs, the great travelers to eastern, western and equatorial Africa did not say a word about the fact that, due to certain circumstances, they had to violate the commandments of Christianity. Morals and ethics did not allow them to write this.
The same cannot be said about the legendary African explorer Henry Morton Stanley. Arms in hand, he made his way through the jungles of Africa, not alone, but as part of squads armed with firearms, numbering from 150 to 300 or more people.
Stanley carried with him the morality of a "real" white man. He went down in the history of exploration of the African continent as a cruel, unyielding white colonialist who stopped at nothing to achieve his goals.
Man is carnivorous by nature. For many hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years he adhered to traditions of their ancestors- eating their own kind. This is evidenced by bones and skulls discovered in Switzerland and other countries. And later, at sunset Bronze Age While processing metals, people ate human flesh. Evidence of this is the judgment and point of view of Diogenes. Polemicizing about the benefits of labor as the most terrible and invincible opponents of lazy people, he proposed subjecting the latter to “purification rites, or better yet, killing them, cutting them into meat and eating them, as they do with large fish.”
Based on information collected in the 19th and 20th centuries, it can be assumed that the practice of eating human flesh existed on all continents, except Europe .
Back in the 17th century, the great French philosopher and moralist Michel Montaigne suggested leaving the cannibals alone, because the customs of the Europeans, although different in many ways, were, in essence, even more cruel and misanthropic than those of the cannibals.

At an altitude of 5000 meters in the jungle Papua New Guinea The Yali tribe lives there, numbering about 20 thousand people. This tribe became notorious for its persistent commitment to cannibalism and its savagery. True, in Lately The yalis seemed to be on the path to correction, but they stopped eating only white people; a person with a different skin color could also very well become a holiday snack...

They don't eat white people anymore

In this tribe, biting the flesh of an enemy was always considered a great valor: the Yali believed that by eating his enemy, a warrior gains his strength, dexterity, cunning and intelligence. The process of transferring the enemy’s virtues was especially successful if the killer knew his name. That is why travelers and tourists are strongly advised not to give their name when visiting the Yali territory. The one who names the name becomes doubly attractive to the cannibal.

Of course, now manifestations of cannibalism have become rare, missionaries and government officials have made a lot of efforts to eradicate this terrible custom. Yali decided not to eat whites anymore: not only that White color They associate it with death, so they also took the teaching about Christ seriously. But it seems they did not spare the Japanese journalist, who recently disappeared in the jungle on the Yali lands. Veterans from the tribe's cannibalistic past still recall with nostalgia the recipes for cooking a slain enemy.

According to them, the real delicacy is human buttocks. Let's hope that they will never come across a beauty with a silicone butt, because the heart of savages simply cannot stand this... However, this is already in the realm of black humor.

Until now, only real extreme travelers dare to visit the territory where this tribe lives, because there are rumors that the Yali periodically recall their cannibalistic habits. The yalis justify their “offences” by the fact that they did not kill anyone, but ate the already dead. They explain the disappearance of people in their areas by accidents - drowning in stormy rivers, falling into abyss, and the like.

Many believe that such explanations should not be particularly trusted, and in a matter of decades it is very difficult to eradicate habits that are thousands of years old.

The Indonesian authorities, of course, are not only trying to completely eradicate manifestations of cannibalism among the Yali, but also to introduce them to civilization. To this end, the government at one time invited all Yali to move to the valley; they were promised building materials, a plot of land, a supply of rice, and even a free TV in every home. The Yali accepted this idea without enthusiasm, and when 18 of the first 300 settlers died of malaria, they began to refuse to leave their native jungle. In addition, they complained about rotten houses and the barrenness of the allocated plots.

The end result was that the program was cancelled, and the Yali remained to live on the land of their ancestors.

Case for manhood

Now, as in past decades, main force Missionaries who introduce the Yali to civilization remain. They bring medicine to the savages, teach and treat their children, build bridges and even small hydroelectric power stations, and prepare landing sites for helicopters. All this greatly facilitates the life of the tribe, which, while maintaining its originality, nevertheless becomes more and more civilized every day. However, those who nevertheless risked visiting the yali and observing the Papuans in all their primeval glory are unlikely to remain disappointed.

The Yalis still flaunt their traditional attire. The women are almost naked, wearing only small skirts made from plant fibers. The “outfit” of men is much more curious; they do not have loincloths, only a special cover called halim, which they make from dried bottle gourd. Interestingly, the process of making halims is quite complex and was clearly developed in ancient times.

While the pumpkin is growing, stones are tied to it, it is tied with thin vines, all this is done to obtain the most elongated and bizarre shape. The dried pumpkin is decorated with shells and feathers; local fashionistas have several of these cases. On holidays and especially special days, the stronger half of the tribe uses longer halimas, in which the warriors even manage to store tobacco.

The main thing in the house is the pig

Various types of jewelry are very popular among both women and men, mainly beads and shells. The Yali tribe has quite interesting ideas about beauty; there are numerous references to the fact that local beauties have their two front teeth knocked out to make them as attractive as possible. Yali men are real fashionistas: in addition to intricate halims, they decorate themselves with other bells and whistles.

Here's what our traveler Valery Kemenov writes about this: “Men wear yali much more various decorations than women. They insert boar tusks into their noses and wear various medallions and wicker hats. Previously, they were made from natural fibers, but with the advent of civilization, the Papuans began to buy nylon threads at the market.”

Do not think that the Yali have always obtained food only by hunting and gathering; their households include pigs, chickens and even possums. In addition, they are quite successful in farming, growing yams (sweet potatoes), bananas, taro rhizomes, corn and tobacco. Like many neighboring tribes, pigs are of particular value on the farm. Here you can buy a wife for a good fat boar, and because of a stolen pig, an armed conflict may well break out between the tribes, even with a cannibal component.

Cooking takes place right on the ground, on several hot stones. If there is a joint meal between friendly clans, the most delicious morsels are distributed according to the status of the guests present. In such cases, it is customary to exchange gifts; all this strengthens inter-tribal relations, both economically and militarily.

Hooked on dry vermicelli

The Yali remained largely indifferent to modern products; however, we became thoroughly addicted to the dry vermicelli “Mivina”. They purchase it in the town of Wamena, closest to their lands. Some yawls, alas, have become addicted to the “fire water” and gradually become drunkards. It takes three days to walk to Wamena, but this does not stop the Papuans, who are hungry for the benefits of civilization. In addition to noodles, at the city market they buy knives, shovels, machetes, mugs, pots, pots and pans. To get money for the tools and things they need, the Yali sell the sweet potatoes and corn they grow, as well as their various crafts, which are popular with tourists.

Although civilization is getting closer and closer to the isolated world of the Yali, the tribe still manages to preserve its originality. All Papuans go to the local shaman for amulets and healing infusions; dead warriors are smoked, and their mummies are placed in the men's house, where access to outsiders is strictly prohibited. Women work in gardens from early morning until late evening, look after children and pets, and prepare food. Men go hunting, clear areas from the jungle for new vegetable gardens, make pens for livestock and fences around the vegetable gardens. In the evening, fed by the women, they sit around the fire, smoke and exchange impressions about the past day. Yali believe that the spirits of their ancestors will definitely protect them from all future misfortunes and adversities; maybe it will be like this?

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In the 21st century, it is difficult to believe that anyone is capable of cannibalism. For a long time now, guidebooks have not informed about dangers of this kind, although in fact they should. Some tribes abandon civilization and live by old rules, which include cannibalism.

South East Papua New Guinea

The Korowai tribe is one of the endangered tribes that feed on human flesh. They live next to a river where tourists come. In 1961, the son of Governor Nelson Rockefeller disappeared there. This tribe believes that if a person dies due to illness, then he is devoured from the inside by the sorcerer Hakua. In order to protect others from harm, they must repay the favor - eat the person who died due to the fault of Haqua.

Congo

Cannibalism in the Congo reached its peak during the civil war (1998-2002). The rebels believed that the heart of enemies should be cooked with special herbs and eaten. They still believe that the heart gives a special power that scares away enemies. In 2012, an official case of cannibalism was recorded.

Fiji

If the first two settlements are not dangerous for tourists, then the one located on the island of Fiji should be avoided. Ancient traditions have been preserved on this island: tribes fight among themselves and eat only enemy people, considering this a ritual of revenge. The interesting thing is that they eat not like animals, but using cutlery. They also collect rare items left by victims.

Aghori sect, Varanasi

Varanasi is a city where the dead are burned on the Ganges River. At night, the Aghori religious sect comes to this river. They are smeared with cremation ashes, wear necklaces made of bones, and wear black, inconspicuous clothing. They need the dead to perform rituals. Sometimes they eat volunteers who donate their entrails. This is necessary in order to prevent aging of the body.

Two months ago, the Supreme Court of Yakutia sentenced a resident to 12 years in a maximum security colony Saratov region Alexei GORULENKO, who, together with his friend Andrei KUROCHKIN, went fishing on the Amur and got lost. After four months of wandering through the taiga, Gorulenko was found. And soon they discovered his friend - or rather, what was left of him. Kurochkin's body was hacked to pieces with an axe. It turned out that a friend beat the unfortunate man and left him to die in the cold. And then he dismembered and ate his friend, roasting him over a fire.

Cannibal fisherman Alexey Gorulenko was punished for intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm, negligently resulting in the death of the victim. He was not accused of cannibalism - there is no article about this in the Russian Criminal Code. Fortunately, horrifying stories with such forced cannibals are extremely rare - people do this out of desperation, having no other way to survive. Yes, and crazy maniacs who want to chew what they shouldn’t are represented in single copies in our time.

But this is if we talk about the relatively civilized world: there are people like you - just imagine - brrr... But on the paradise islands of Polynesia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, the wilds of Africa, Brazil, cannibals still cannot do without their loved ones “ delicacies." And if you dig into the past, it becomes obvious: this phenomenon constitutes a rich historical and cultural layer of world civilization. Traces of cannibalism can be found in the myths, traditions and beliefs of many countries. Experts assure that cannibalism is a kind of growing pain: different stages development, all nations must inevitably suffer from it.

Unhappy savage people

The Neanderthals also muddied the waters - due to the lack of plant and animal food, they adapted to devour old, small and weak representatives of their few groups - those from whom there was no use in the economy. However, with the development of tribal relations, the ritual of extracting dinner from human flesh became more complicated and overgrown with conventions: our ancestors rightly decided that it was worthless to kill people living in one group, and switched to strangers. The first wars were over food - the losers were honorably sent to a barbecue.

A European sailor who was captured by the Tupinamba Indians in 1554 was impressed by the ritual of eating prisoners. Having somehow managed to get out unharmed, the traveler remembered the savage custom for a long time. The slaves, tied hand and foot, were first given over to be torn to pieces by women and children, who beat them as hard as they could. Then the largest one from the group was singled out, and the rest were left in reserve. “Lucky” was decorated with feathers, after which the Indians walked in ritual dances in front of him.
Preparations for the gala dinner continued for several months. The prisoner was fed sweetly, methodically bringing him to the desired condition. He was allowed to move around the village, seated at the same table with the locals, and even allowed to copulate with the natives. On the day when the prisoner, accustomed to carnal pleasures, was to become the main dish, as a sign of gratitude for the “warm” welcome, he bequeathed the sirloin parts of his body to the citizens he especially loved.

The “ritual dish” was brought to a blazing fire in the square. A blow to the head with a baton - and the cooks get involved in cutting up the body. A plug is inserted into the anus of the murdered person so that not a single vitamin falls out during the cooking process. Amid the approving cries of its relatives, the skinned carcass is ceremoniously sent to the fire and, when the body is browned, the limbs are separated from it, which are picked up by women with cries of joy and carried throughout the village. All those present are invited to the meal, and the real relish begins.
The above ritual fits perfectly into the framework of the then ideas about mercy and humane treatment of prisoners. The North American Indians did not perform such ceremonies - in their belief, the more the victim suffers, the juicier and meatier the roast will be. The Hurons and Iroquois were distinguished by the greatest bloodthirstiness, who tore out the hearts of captives from the chests and immediately ate them raw.
Another “entertainment” of the sadists was to force the victim to run over burning firebrands. The bones of the victim’s arms were broken, they tied her up and languished on the coals for a long time, pouring water on her, trying to bring her to her senses - it was believed that longer person remains alive on the fire, the better his flesh is baked.

Dancing on the bones

Why do people eat their own kind? Here's how to look. They eat when there really is nothing else to fill the stomach with - in the Brazilian thickets for women and children deprived of proteins, a well-fried human cutlet was an excellent vitamin supplement to a diet of rat meat and garbage. It's the same story in Africa, where famines often break out.
But the more likely motive was always rage towards the enemy and the desire to destroy him literally to the last bone. Wild people believed that when eaten, the spirit of the killed person passes to the winner, giving him strength and courage.

However, one should not think that lunch was obtained exclusively by force: wild people are not animals. Quite good “food packages” were obtained from those who died of natural causes. There were many recipes for ritual dishes that inconsolable relatives prepared from the dead dear to their hearts. Latin Americans loved to chew on charred bones like chips, or suck on finely chopped pieces of a dead body roasted over a fire. IN African tribes crushed ashes were added to drinks. Lovers of delicacies buried their fellow tribesmen in the ground, where the meat dried out a little, after which the “food” was removed, enjoying the aroma that knocked you off your feet and the pieces melting in your mouth.

The Congolese Batetela tribes, who gave the world the world famous Patrice Lumumba, ate old people as soon as they showed signs of infirmity, thereby relieving them of sad thoughts and long illnesses. By eating the decrepit body, they believed that they were absorbing the wisdom of their ancestors, thereby ensuring the continuity of generations.
The neighbors did the same - the inhabitants of the Kraketo tribe smoked the dead over low heat until the corpse was completely dehydrated. After this, the mummy was placed in a hammock and suspended from the ceiling in the deceased’s house. A few years later, the remains were burned, and what was left was ground, mixed with corn mash and drunk, remembering the deceased with a kind word.

By the way
According to biochemists and nutritionists, human meat is the most suitable product for our bodies. It is easily digested, contains useful vitamins and amino acids, and is not allergic.

Bokassa had a grudge against Brezhnev

The President of the Central African Republic (CAR), Jean-Bedel Bokassa, became famous throughout the world for his passion for eating political opponents. The personal chef did not hide the fact that he served mayonnaise to the chef of the opposition leaders for lunch. Bokassa could not live without human meat and, when traveling abroad, he took canned food with him with him. In 1970, the “fry lover” visited the USSR - according to tradition, he was greeted by pioneers with flowers, whom he paternally pecked on the cheeks. The cannibal also kissed Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. In general, Bokassa really liked the custom of kissing when meeting - he said that it allows you to feel the taste of the skin. Returning, the extravagant ruler smacked all the ministers, driving the unfortunate people into a stupor. And for a long time he remembered his meeting with the Soviet leader, calling him well-fed and smiling mysteriously.

The Japanese cut meat from living people

During World War II, Japanese army soldiers engaged in cannibalism - but, unlike the tormented residents besieged Leningrad, they did it not out of hunger, but for fun. The victims were prisoners of war, who were killed, after which they were stripped naked and eaten. The hands and feet were usually not touched due to bonyness. Some had the flesh cut from their arms and legs while they were still alive. Tormented people were thrown into “wells of death.”

Ears were sticking out of the soup

Earlier this year, in one of the Nigerian states in Africa, a restaurant that fed visitors human flesh was closed. The menu was rich and varied, but its ingredients were not advertised. Until the local pastor came to the establishment. Outraged by the high bill, he demanded an explanation. And he found out that he was fed dishes made from human meat. The police detained the owner and employees of the establishment. During the search, two heads wrapped in plastic and a pair of Kalashnikov assault rifles were discovered.

Sex appetite

Perverted cannibals - it turns out there are also those who are absolutely “horror-horror” - get sexual pleasure from eating the victim. Once, the Frenchman Gilles Garnier strangled a young girl, after which he brought a piece of still warm flesh home and offered it to his wife. After eating, she became unusually hot. The mutual orgasm was incredible.
The caretaker of an almshouse in Prague, whose last name was Thirsch, boiled human meat, ate it, and then spent the whole night hanging around the old women. And winemaker Antoine Léger preferred human carpaccio, which he washed down with fresh blood before going on a date.
By the way, the followers of the cannibal serial killer Nikolai Dzhumagaliev quite seriously convinced everyone at the trial that the meat of the priestesses of love tastier than meat an ordinary woman, since it is saturated with sperm, giving it tenderness and juiciness.

He gave himself up to be devoured

In March 2001, a resident of the German city of Rothenburg, 41-year-old systems engineer Armin Meiwes, posted an advertisement on the Internet looking for young guy between the ages of 18 and 25, wanting to die and be eaten. His colleague Bernd Brandes responded to such a strange proposal. The young people agreed to meet. Brandes was killed and partially eaten by Meiwes. The villain was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, accused of manslaughter. But later the case was reviewed, and Meiwes received a life sentence.

Have a laugh and don't choke

Our smaller brothers also sin by eating their own kind. This weakness has been identified in more than 1,300 animal species.
* A female scorpion devours her young at birth or when the larvae climb onto her back. The scorpion removes them from there with her claws and for several hours, savoring them, crushes the crumbs.
* Karakurt and mantis spiders devour males after mating. Ants swallow fallen brethren, preventing them from decomposing and infecting the anthill.
* Most fish do not distinguish young individuals of their species from other prey and often swallow them.

* Among mammals, cannibalism is known in rodents, dogs, bears, lions, chimpanzees, baboons and some others. The female hamster begins to snack on the offspring immediately after their birth and stops when they can already feed themselves. This happens due to severe exhaustion of the body and an acute lack of proteins and minerals after childbirth.

Boys have bloody eyes

They say that whoever has tasted human flesh will never forget its unique sweetish taste. Some compare it to lamb, to others human flesh resembles pork, and others catch banana notes in it.

Several years ago, the world was shocked by photographs taken in China, which depicted the process of cutting up a human embryo. They talked about catering establishments where visitors - creepy - are fed germ soup. Mostly female embryos are used, obtained from pregnant women who do not want to have an “extra” girl. “Boys” are found less frequently and are more expensive.
They wrote that private hospitals that provide abortions trade in the sale of fetuses, while public clinics even distribute them for free. In the Celestial Empire, they believe that embryos contain substances that can prolong the life of the person who eats them. No less in demand are “ripe” babies, who are killed with an injection of alcohol in the head, as well as the placenta, which can be bought for $10. And although it turned out that the nightmare presented in the photographs was an evil joke by photographer Zhu Youyou, who stole an embryo from a medical school, what is striking is the abundance of details describing this delicate process. This Chinese medicine is a murky business...