Romero 1

Brianna Romero
Megan Malcom-Morgan
English 220-003
11-16-2015
Introduction
Cannibalism has been a major part of the human species and history dating all the way
back to a 2 million to 800,000 year old species called Homo Gautengensis (Daily Mail).
Although cannibalism is looked down on by todays society, there was a point in our history that
cannibalism was an essential key to survival. Often times in our past and present, cannibalism
has been used for many religious rituals and events. Some religions believe in eating the flesh of
a newly dead person at their funeral (Eveleth). There are different situations in which
cannibalism is practiced, it all depends on the person.
Cannibalism is a very important and uncomfortable part of our history as humans. The
controversial points of cannibalism; religion, ceremonial purposes, and starvation, all can be
somewhat understood when you take different situations into consideration. However, deciding
whether it is right to take another persons life solely for your own consumption is never going to
be morally ok, especially when done for no specific purpose at all.
Body
According to Mark Nicholls in Cannibalism in Early Jamestown, The word cannibal
derives from the spanish word carib, meaning strong men. Columbus used to think of tribes
living in the West Indies as being canibales, another word for cannibal. Cannibalism was
practiced in some very contemporary Native American societies. Particularly among the tribes of
the North and West, cannibalism was recorded and thought of as a form of torture. Cannibalism

Romero 2

served as a type of victorious celebration when it came to winning wars and having the upper
hand against people of other places. However, these tribes used cannibalism with strict and
complex taboos. The process of cannibalism in this culture was never strictly gastronomic.
However popular in the Native American culture, cannibalism also became popular in the
English culture. George Percy, the youngest son of the eighth Earl of Northumberland and a
prominent member of the original band of Jamestown settlers states,
A worlde of miseries ensewed as the Sequell will expresse unto yow, in so mutche
thatt some to satisfye their hunger have robbed the store for the which I Caused
them to be executed. Then haveinge fedd upon our horses and other beastes as
longe as they Lasted, we weare gladd to make shifte with vermin as doggs Catts,
Ratts and myce all was fishe thatt Came to Nett to satisfye Crewell hunger, as to
eate Bootes shoes or any other leather some Colde come by. And those beinge
Spente and devoured some weare inforced to searche the woodes and to feede
upon Serpentts and snakes and to digge the earthe for wylde and unknowne
Rootes, where many of our men weare Cutt of and slayne by the Salvages. And
now famin beginneinge to Looke gastely and pale in every face, thatt notheinge
was Spared to mainteyne Lyfe and to doe those things which seame incredible, as
to digge upp deade corpes outt of graves and to eate them. And some have Licked
upp the Bloode which hathe fallen from their weake fellowes.
(Nicholls)
When disease swept through Jamestown at the beginning of its colonization, the
inhabitants were forced to eat pets, snakes, rats, and many other animals due to starvation. Percy
states that some people were forced to dig up the graves of the deceased and eat the remaining

Romero 3

flesh off their bones. While this is an example of Cannibalism, it was practiced for no other
reason than to preserve life. In this life or death situation, the people of Jamestown had to dig up
the graves of their friends, and sometimes loved ones, in order to preserve their lives.
Body
Cannibalism was also very popular in Mesoamerica. Particularly in the Aztec civilization,
as many as a quarter of a million people (about 1% of the population) were sacrificed each
year (Clark). This information is obtained through the physical and cultural evidence of their
practice, and according to the Aztec religion, both the consumer and the sacrificed person were
able to go on to the afterlife. Hence, cannibalism was used as some type of reward. The person
being eaten benefitted just as well as the person who did the eating. Cannibalism and human
sacrificing are taboo when talked about in social settings. However, when they are talked about
in religious settings, they are seen as an important and crucial act that aims towards the common
goal of heaven and the afterlife.
When it comes to cannibalism in religious settings, there is no wrong or right answer.
Eating other people can be somewhat justified when you look at the purpose for the act, but in
the end, lives are still being ended due to the sole purpose of human consumption or benefit.
Animal sacrificing has long been a tradition of many religions, and in some religions, so has
human sacrificing. In the Christian faith, animal sacrificing was used to save the lives of infant
boys in Egypt. According to Exodus 12:7-13, the Bible states,
And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the
upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the
flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs
they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire;

Romero 4

his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of
it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye
shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on
your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's
passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of
Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a
token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of
Egypt. (Exodus 12:7-13)
Animal sacrificing is and will be a prominent key in both the past and present of all
religions. When the Bible states that it is Gods will for the blood of innocent lamb to be
smeared on all the doorposts for protection, it is also promoting animal sacrificing. Animal
sacrificing is not just a ritual for the Aztec civilization going back in time, but also crucial for the
Christian faith. While human sacrificing is considered as taboo, in some faiths, animal sacrificing
is often looked past.
The concept of Holy Communion can also be looked at as a different form of
Cannibalism. In the Catholic and certain Christian faiths, at age eleven, (roughly) children are
able to go through a process to be able to receive the body, and the blood of Christ. In the
Catholic faith, the bread and wine are believed to turn into the body and blood of Jesus Christ
after they are blessed. In the Christian faith, the body and blood of christ serves as an example of
how Jesus gave up his life to preserve the lives of everyone around him. According to Catholic
Answers,

Romero 5

In the Eucharist, after the priest consecrates the bread and wine and they are, in
fact, transubstantiated into the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord, our
Lord is then entirely present. Neither bread nor wine remains. However, the
accidents of bread and wine (size, weight, taste, texture) do remain. Hence, the
essential reason why Catholics are not guilty of cannibalism is the fact that we do
not receive our Lord in a cannibalistic form. We receive him in the form of bread
and wine. The two are qualitatively different.
(Staples)
Body
In Cannibals of the Past Had Plenty of Reasons to Eat People, Rose Eveleth discusses
different instances in which cannibalism was practiced. In one instance, a man named Alfred
Packer, a hiking guide in Colorado, tells his story. In his story, he explains his reasoning for
eating six men. According to Packer, each one of the men died from either natural causes, or
because another hiker (aside from Packer) killed them. However, when the remains of other
prospects were found, they were all lying together and their feet were bound together with strips
of blanket.
Boone Helm, a man who is said to have eaten two companions during two separate
storms, showed absolutely no mercy towards his victims.
He stayed on at this spot, and, like a hyena, preyed upon the dead
body of his companion. He ate one leg of the body, and then,
wrapping up the other in a piece of old shirt, threw it across his
shoulder and started on further east. He had, before this on the
march, declared to the party that he had practiced cannibalism at an

Romero 6

earlier time, and proposed to do so again if it became necessary on

this trip across the mountains.
Helm, showing no mercy towards the companions he brutally killed, was more animal
than human. Eating people is not natural, and doing so for the mere task in itself is gruesome.
Not only did Helm eat his two companions, but he did so like a hyena showing no respect for
the human life he has on, and in his hands.
Another instance from Eveleths Smithsonian.com article, talks about cannibalism in life
or death situations. She discusses how in the 18th and 19th century, sailors and fisherman would
practice cannibalism if need be. They had even gone as far as to work out guidelines, called the
custom of the sea (rules for cannibalism). The custom of the sea was an agreement that listed
in case of a major emergency, who would be killed and eaten first. It also documented who
would need to do the killing. Although this is still a form of cannibalism, everyone who was
eaten seemed to know their fate. They ate each other for no other reasons, other than survival.
There were no other motivations for killing and eating one another, other than to preserve life for
the majority.
Body
One of the most prominent stories of cannibalism in cannibal history is the story of
Jeffrey Dahmer. Jeffrey Dahmer was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on may 21, 1960. Dahmer
killed his first victim just after he graduated high school. He picked up a hitchhiker named
Steven Hicks, took him home to his parents house, got him drunk, and hit him in the head with a
barbell. He dismembered the body parts of his victim and later buried him in his backyard.
Dahmers next victim was about nine years later. During the time of his first victim, his

Romero 7

alcoholism spun out of control and he joined the army. His drinking problem persisted and he
was later discharged from the army.
Dahmer continued on his killing spree for more than 13 years. He would meet his victims
(mostly in gay bars), take them home, get them drunk/high on drugs, and eventually he would
kill them. Dahmer would then would have sex with the corpses, and keep souvenirs such as their
genitals or skulls. He would often videotape and photograph the process so that he could
recollect each act and relive the experience. As Dahmer continued to add to his victim count, he
developed necrophilia, which is generally associated with issues of exercising complete control
over other victims. Dehmer developed these issues and that is when he began experimenting with
chemical means of disposal and he also went on to consuming the flesh of his victims. He started
to perform experiments injecting people who are still alive in the head with crude lobotomies,
practicing his need for control and power at the fullest extent.
Dahmer was careful to select victims that were social outcasts, many of his victims being
criminals and on the lower end of the social ladder. He was later killed with another inmate, a
white supremacist by the name of Jesse Anderson, by a black man with schizophrenia by the
name of Christopher Scarver. In his testimony, Scarver states that the prison guards allowed the
murders to happen.
Conclusion
Cannibalism is practiced for many different purposes. Some examples include hunger,
religious rituals, power over other beings, victory in wars/fights, recreationally, and for many
other reasons. While cannibalism is generally looked down on and feared by the majority of
society all around the world, there are many reasons in which cannibalism can be somewhat
understood. For example, in many religions, cannibalism and animal/human sacrifices are used

Romero 8

to proclaim trust, and loyalty to the specific God(s). There are also extreme cases, such as the
Jamestown account, that relied on cannibalism for survival.
While the frequency of the use of cannibalism has decreased since past events, there are
many reasons that can contribute to this decrease. For example, the overproduction of food
compared to our past. On every corner are McDonalds, Wendys, Taco Bells, etc., that serve fast
food for a cheap price. When certain diseases strike, our entire food supply still remains, giving
us more power than those of the past.
Another reason that may contribute to the decrease of cannibalism is the evolution of
religion. Religions have become more and more strict as time goes on when it comes to
sacrifices, and performing rituals that may interfere with common laws. While cannibalism may
have been a valid ritual in the past, churches have turned to things such as money baskets, in
which people show their love for their church, and their God by putting a set amount of money
into an envelope.
Cannibalism has been, and will be a very controversial, and scary part of our human
existence. Whether it is a life or death situation, or an evil hobby, the process of killing and
eating somebody with the exact same biological makeup as you is seen as taboo. While
cannibalism may never fully disappear, the religious uses for the act have somewhat disappeared.
Over time, people have become more aware of the seriousness of taking other lives for personal
consumption. Cannibalism will never disappear from our past, but hopefully it will not be a part
of our future.

Works Cited

Romero 9

Biography.com. "Jeffrey Dahmer." n.d. biography.com. Biography.com Feature Story. 25

May 2013.
Clark, Josh. "How Cannibalism Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., 24 Aug. 2008. Web. 21
Nov. 2015.
Eveleth, Rose. "Cannibals of the Past Had Plenty of Reasons to Eat People."
Smithsonian. Smithsonian.com, 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
Nicholls, Mark. "History.org: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Official History
and Citizenship Website." Things Which Seame Incredible: Cannibalism in Early Jamestown :
The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. "Colonial WIlliamsburg" Journal,
Winter 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
Reporter, Daily Mail. "Meet Our Oldest Human Ancestor ... the Cannibal: How Earliest
Species Was Toothy Little Devil." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 28 May 2010. Web. 21
Nov. 2015.
Staples, Tim. "Are Catholics Cannibals?" Are Catholics Cannibals? Catholic Answers, 7
Nov. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769; King James Bible Online,
2015. www.kingjamesbibleonline.org.