A brief history of cannibalism - Bill Schutt

Summary

In the 15th century, Europeans used mumia, made from ground mummified human flesh, as a cure-all for various ailments. The term 'cannibal' originated from Columbus's time, used to dehumanize indigenous people. Cannibalism has a complex history, including survival, medicinal, and cultural practices. Examples include European medicinal cannibalism with mumia and body parts, and filial cannibalism in China. Cannibalistic funerary rites among the Fore people of New Guinea led to the spread of kuru disease.

Takeaways

• 🧬 15th century Europeans used mumia, made from ground mummified human flesh, as a cure for various ailments.
• 🏝️ The term 'cannibal' originates from Christopher Columbus's time and was used to dehumanize indigenous people.
• 🌊 Columbus labeled resistant islanders as 'Caribes', leading to the evolution of the word 'cannibal'.
• 🌿 Mumia was in such high demand that European cemeteries were raided to meet the need for its production.
• 💊 Human body parts like blood, liver, gallstones, and brains were used in European medicinal concoctions.
• 📜 In China, filial cannibalism was practiced where children would offer a piece of their flesh to cure sick parents.
• 🗡️ Cannibalistic funerary rites among the Fore people of New Guinea involved consuming the deceased to honor them.
• 🦠 These funerary practices inadvertently spread the deadly disease kuru within the Fore community.
• 📚 The script highlights the complex and varied history of cannibalism, with both factual and fictional accounts.
• ❓ The true extent of cultural cannibalism remains uncertain due to a combination of real practices and exaggerated stories.

Q & A

What was the 15th century European belief about mumia?

15th century Europeans believed that mumia, a brown powder made by grinding up mummified human flesh, was a miracle cure for various ailments such as epilepsy, hemorrhage, bruising, and nausea.

How did the word 'cannibal' originate?

The word 'cannibal' dates from the time of Christopher Columbus and may have been coined by him. It originated from the term 'Carib,' referring to a group of indigenous people who were rumored to practice violent raids and cannibalism.

What was Queen Isabella's response to the reports of cannibalism?

Queen Isabella granted permission to capture and enslave anyone who ate human flesh, based on Columbus's reports of the Caribs' cannibalistic practices.

How did Columbus's labeling of the Caribe people influence the term 'cannibal'?

Columbus began to label anyone who resisted his plundering and kidnapping as a Caribe, which eventually led to the transformation of the word 'Carib' into 'Canibe,' and then 'Cannibal.'

What is the historical complexity of cannibalism?

Cannibalism has a complex history, taking diverse forms and occurring for various reasons such as survival, medicinal use, and cultural practices across different cultures and time periods.

Why was mumia in high demand during the 15th century?

The demand for mumia increased as it was believed to have medicinal properties and could be used to treat a wide range of medical conditions. Initially, stolen mummies from Egypt supplied the mumia, but the demand soon outgrew the supply.

How was the mumia supply sustained when the demand exceeded the availability of Egyptian mummies?

When the demand for mumia exceeded the supply of Egyptian mummies, opportunists began stealing bodies from European cemeteries to produce more mumia.

What other human body parts were used in medicinal concoctions in Europe?

In addition to mumia, other human body parts used in medicinal concoctions in Europe included blood, liver, gallstones, oil distilled from human brains, and pulverized hearts.

What is an example of socially accepted cannibalism in China?

Filial cannibalism was a form of socially accepted cannibalism in China, where adult children would offer a piece of their own flesh to their sick parents as a last-ditch attempt to cure them.

How did cannibalistic funerary rites in New Guinea contribute to the spread of kuru?

Cannibalistic funerary rites among the Fore people of New Guinea, where family members would consume the body after death, contributed to the spread of the deadly disease kuru within the community.

What challenges do historians face when trying to understand the history of cannibalism?

Historians face challenges in understanding the history of cannibalism due to fictionalized stories, verifiable practices, and gaps in knowledge, which make it difficult to determine the exact prevalence and cultural significance of cannibalism throughout history.

Outlines

00:00

🧬 Medicinal Cannibalism and the Origins of the Word 'Cannibal'

In the 15th century, Europeans used mumia, a powder made from ground mummified human flesh, as a cure for various ailments. This practice was part of a broader history of cannibalism, which has been both a survival tactic and a cultural norm in different societies. The term 'cannibal' originated from Christopher Columbus's reports of the Caribs, a group he described as violent and cannibalistic, leading to Queen Isabella's permission to enslave such people. However, the term's origins are based on questionable accounts and have been used to dehumanize indigenous peoples. Cannibalism has taken many forms, including medicinal uses in Europe, where mumia was in high demand, and in China, where filial cannibalism was practiced as a last resort to cure sick parents. Cultural cannibalism also included funerary rites, such as those of the Fore people of New Guinea, which inadvertently spread the disease kuru.

Keywords

💡Mumia

Mumia refers to a brown powder made by grinding up mummified human flesh, which was believed to have medicinal properties in 15th century Europe. It was used as a remedy for various ailments and could be mixed into drinks or made into salves. The term is central to the video's theme of historical cannibalistic practices, particularly medicinal cannibalism. The script describes how mumia was initially sourced from stolen mummies in Egypt and later from European cemeteries due to high demand.

💡Cannibal

The term 'cannibal' originates from the time of Christopher Columbus and is believed to have been coined by him to describe the Caribs, a group he reported as violent and practicing anthropophagy. It has since been used to dehumanize indigenous people and to describe anyone who consumes human flesh. The video discusses the etymology and historical context of the term, illustrating how it was initially based on accounts that lacked hard evidence but has come to represent a complex and varied history of cannibalism.

💡Survival Cannibalism

Survival cannibalism is a form of cannibalism practiced out of necessity during extreme circumstances such as famine, siege, or expeditions where people had to consume the bodies of the dead to avoid starvation. The video mentions this as one of the reasons for cannibalistic practices across cultures and time periods, highlighting its role in desperate situations where it was a matter of life and death.

💡Medicinal Cannibalism

Medicinal cannibalism involves the consumption of human body parts for their perceived healing properties. The video discusses this practice extensively, particularly in the context of 15th century Europe where mumia and other human-derived remedies were used to treat various medical conditions. This concept is integral to the video's exploration of how cannibalism has been normalized and accepted for its supposed health benefits.

💡Cultural Cannibalism

Cultural cannibalism refers to the practice of consuming human flesh as part of cultural or social norms. The video provides examples such as filial cannibalism in China, where children would offer a piece of their flesh to cure a sick parent, and funerary rites among the Fore people of New Guinea, where the deceased's body would be consumed as a form of honoring. These practices illustrate the diversity of cannibalistic behaviors and their acceptance within specific cultural contexts.

💡Caribs

The Caribs were a group mentioned by Columbus in his reports to the Queen of Spain, described as violent and practicing cannibalism. The term 'Carib' is believed to be the origin of the word 'cannibal.' The video uses the Caribs as an example of how the term 'cannibal' was initially used to dehumanize indigenous people and justify their enslavement, based on accounts that were not necessarily grounded in evidence.

💡Kuru

Kuru is a deadly disease that was spread through cannibalistic funerary rites practiced by the Fore people of New Guinea. The video discusses how these cultural practices, while honoring the deceased, inadvertently led to the transmission of kuru, illustrating the unintended consequences of traditional customs and the complex history of cannibalism.

💡Anthropophagy

Anthropophagy, or the act of consuming human flesh, is a broader term that encompasses various forms of cannibalism. The video uses this term to discuss the different contexts in which cannibalism has occurred, from survival to cultural practices, and to emphasize the wide range of motivations and justifications behind such acts throughout history.

💡Filial Cannibalism

Filial cannibalism is a specific form of cannibalism where adult children offer a piece of their own flesh to their parents, typically as a last resort to cure a sick parent. The video mentions this practice in the context of ancient China, highlighting it as an example of how cannibalism could be normalized and accepted within certain cultural frameworks for altruistic reasons.

💡Cannibalistic Funerary Rites

Cannibalistic funerary rites involve the consumption of the deceased's body as part of funeral customs. The video provides the Fore people of New Guinea as a prime example, where such rites were practiced to honor the dead. This concept is used to illustrate the cultural acceptance of cannibalism in specific contexts and the complex motivations behind these practices.

Highlights

15th century Europeans believed mumia, made from ground mummified human flesh, was a cure for various ailments.

The word 'cannibal' originates from Christopher Columbus's time and might have been coined by him.

Queen Isabella permitted the capture and enslavement of those who practiced cannibalism based on Columbus's reports.

The term 'cannibal' was initially used to dehumanize indigenous people and later generalized to those who eat human flesh.

Cannibalism has a complex history with diverse forms, not always involving recognizable parts of the human body.

Survival cannibalism is documented across cultures and time periods during famine, siege, or expeditions.

Cultural cannibalism, normalized under ordinary circumstances, is also prevalent in various societies.

Medicinal cannibalism was prevalent in Europe during Columbus's time, with mumia being in high demand.

The mumia craze led to the theft of bodies from European cemeteries to meet the demand for mumia.

Mumia was listed in the Merck index, a medical encyclopedia, until the 20th century.

Human blood, liver, gall stones, and other body parts were used in medical concoctions in Europe.

In China, filial cannibalism, where children offered a piece of their flesh to sick parents, has a long history.

Cannibalistic funerary rites, like those of the Fore people of New Guinea, were a form of culturally sanctioned cannibalism.

The Fore people's funerary cannibalism inadvertently spread the deadly disease kuru.

The history of cannibalism is multifaceted, with gaps in knowledge and a mix of fictionalized stories and verifiable practices.

People have been practicing, volunteering for, and accusing others of cannibalism for millennia.

Transcripts

15th century Europeans believed they had hit upon a miracle cure:

a remedy for epilepsy, hemorrhage, bruising, nausea,

and virtually any other medical ailment.

This brown powder could be mixed into drinks, made into salves

or eaten straight up.

It was known as mumia and made by grinding up mummified human flesh.

The word "cannibal" dates from the time of Christopher Columbus;

in fact, Columbus may even have coined it himself.

After coming ashore on the island of Guadaloupe,

Columbus' initial reports back to the Queen of Spain

described the indigenous people as friendly and peaceful—

though he did mention rumors of a group called the Caribs,

who made violent raids and then cooked and ate their prisoners.

In response, Queen Isabella granted permission to capture and enslave

anyone who ate human flesh.

When the island failed to produce the gold Columbus was looking for,

he began to label anyone who resisted his plundering and kidnapping as a Caribe.

Somewhere along the way, the word "Carib" became "Canibe" and then "Cannibal."

First used by colonizers to dehumanize indigenous people,

it has since been applied to anyone who eats human flesh.

So the term comes from an account that wasn't based on hard evidence,

but cannibalism does have a real and much more complex history.

It has taken diverse forms— sometimes, as with mumia,

it doesn't involved recognizable parts of the human body.

The reasons for cannibalistic practices have varied, too.

Across cultures and time periods, there's evidence of survival cannibalism,

when people living through a famine, siege or ill-fated expedition

had to either eat the bodies of the dead or starve to death themselves.

But it's also been quite common for cultures

to normalize some form of eating human flesh under ordinary circumstances.

Because of false accounts like Columbus's,

it's difficult to say exactly how common cultural cannibalism has been—

but there are still some examples of accepted cannibalistic practices

from within the cultures practicing them.

Take the medicinal cannibalism in Europe during Columbus's time.

Starting in the 15th century, the demand for mumia increased.

At first, stolen mummies from Egypt supplied the mumia craze,

but soon the demand was too great to be sustained on Egyptian mummies alone,

and opportunists stole bodies from European cemeteries to turn into mumia.

Use of mumia continued for hundreds of years.

It was listed in the Merck index, a popular medical encyclopedia,

into the 20th century.

And ground up mummies were far from the only remedy made from human flesh

that was common throughout Europe.

Blood, in either liquid or powdered form, was used to treat epilepsy,

while human liver, gall stones, oil distilled from human brains,

and pulverized hearts were popular medical concoctions.

In China,

the written record of socially accepted cannibalism goes back almost 2,000 years.

One particularly common form of cannibalism

appears to have been filial cannibalism,

where adult sons and daughters would offer a piece of their own flesh

to their parents.

This was typically offered as a last-ditch attempt to cure a sick parent,

and wasn't fatal to their offspring—

it usually involved flesh from the thigh or, less often, a finger.

Cannibalistic funerary rites are another form of culturally sanctioned cannibalism.

Perhaps the best-known example came from the Fore people of New Guinea.

Through the mid-20th century, members of the community would,

if possible, make their funerary preferences known in advance,

sometimes requesting that family members gather to consume the body after death.

Tragically, though these rituals honored the deceased,

they also spread a deadly disease known as kuru through the community.

Between the fictionalized stories, verifiable practices,

and big gaps that still exist in our knowledge,

there's no one history of cannibalism.

But we do know that people have been eating each other,

volunteering themselves to be eaten,

and accusing others of eating people for millennia.