It is also called anthropology.
 Why
is cannibalism considered a universal
taboo?
 What cases of cannibalism have you heard of?
Exocannibalism:
 a culture, group or tribes
consumption of another
culture, group or tribe
 associated with tribal power,
murder and aggression and
has been used in an effort to
scare off possible invading
enemies, to get rid of
captured enemies of war and
slaves
 Many cannibalistic tribes
believed that consuming ones
enemy would allow them to
obtain and absorb the spirit
and skills of the victim.
Endocannibalism:
 the consumption of members
within ones own culture,
group or tribe
 often associated with ritual
burial ceremonies and has
been controversially referred
to on occasion as
compassionate cannibalism
There are four primary forms of criminal cannibalism:
1.
sexual cannibalism
2.
aggression cannibalism
3.
spiritual and ritual cannibalism (including mortuary
cannibalism)
4.
epicurean/nutritional cannibalism
These various forms substantially overlap with one
another. For example, one may consume human flesh
for several purposes, such as to achieve a sense of
power and control (aggression cannibalism), yet one
may also find the taste to be agreeable
(epicurean/nutritional cannibalism).
considered to be a psychosexual disorder, which
involves a person sexualizing the consumption of
another person's flesh
 does not necessarily suggest that the cannibal
achieves sexual gratification only in the act of
consuming human flesh, but also may release
sexual frustration or pent up anger
 considered to be a form of sexual sadism and is
often associated with the act of necrophilia (sex
with corpses)
 several high profile cases including that of
Andrei Chikatilo, Edward Gein, Albert Fish,
Armin Mewes and Jeffrey Dahmer.
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Most acts of cannibalism are, to a degree, motivated
by a desire to express power or control over the
victim
includes acts of cannibalism that are motivated by
feelings of hostility and/or fear, creating an
overriding need to exert power, revenge or control
over the victim by murdering and then consuming him
one of the more common forms of cannibalism
most recent cases include, Anna Zimmerman and Ed
Kemper

In 1981 Anna Zimmerman, 26, a German mother of two,
murdered her boyfriend out of anger and revenge and
then dismembered his body. She froze his remains and
over-time defrosted portions of his body and consumed
them with her unsuspecting children. She represents one
of the few known cases of female criminal cannibals
 Includes
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Mortuary cannibalism
the most widely practiced form of
endocannibalism
often excluding murder and focusing on already
deceased corpses
according to anthropologist Beth Conklin in
article by Ellie Shick regarding mortuary
cannibalism amongst the Wari tribe of the
Amazon rainforest symbolized that the spirit of
the dead was believed to be absorbed by the
entire tribe upon consumption and was
considered by them to be one of the most
respectful ways to treat a human body
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Consumption of others for the sake of taste or nutrition
(includes survival cannibalism as discussed on next slide)
Modern case studies: Issei Sagawa and Nicholas Claux

In 1981, Japanese student Issei Sagawa was arrested in France for
indulging his fantasies of cannibalism. One day he propositioned a
Dutch friend only to have his advances rejected. Sagawa shot and
killed her and then sexually assaulted her corpse. Sagawa then
carved away pieces of his victims body, including her breasts and
buttocks and consumed them. Sagawa exclaimed that, nothing was
so delicious! Sagawa was determined to be mentally incompetent to
stand trial in a French court.
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Documented in “The cannibal that walks free”
Also in France, Nicolas Claux was convicted of the 1994 murder of
34-year-old Thierry Bissonier. However, murder was not his only
vice. Claux, who at one time worked at a childrens hospital morgue
in Paris, admitted to stealing flesh from the dead children and
taking it home to eat. He likened the taste of humans to steak
tartare. Claux is also believed to be a Satanist, which could be
another motivation behind his cannibalistic practices.
Survival Cannibalism
 consumption of others in an attempt to stay alive in adverse and
desperate situations (i.e. often occurs only in the event of
tragedy such as natural disaster or events such as plane crashes
etc) I.e. Donner Party expedition and the more recent cases that
occurred in the Andes Mountains following a plane crash

In 1972, a group of rugby players, their friends and families left on an
airplane for Chile from Urugua. The plane crashed into the snowcovered Andes Mountains killing thirteen of the forty-five passengers
onboard the aircraft. Many of the passengers died over the weeks from
crash-related injuries. Without any provisions, those left alive resorted
to cannibalizing the dead. Those who refused to eat the human flesh
died of starvation. After seventy days in the mountains, sixteen
survivors were rescued and taken home

Within the last century there have been thousands of documented
cases of cannibalism, particularly during times of war or economic
depression. It was not uncommon to walk the streets in east
Europe during WWII and find that people who had died on the
streets had their buttocks removed posthumously by others. Many
were brought to trial for eating the flesh of their prisoners and
enemies as well.
Ancient Aztecs
 The ancient Aztecs in Mexico were believed to have sacrificed
and cannibalized thousands of humans on an annual basis. The
Aztecs were believed to have practiced exocannibalism, as
well as endocannibalism and survival cannibalism.
 Aztecs believed that sacrificing humans, either from their own
culture or from an outside culture, would appease the gods and
if they failed to do so, it would mark the destruction of all
humanity. Cannibalism was seen as a holy act, which allowed
men to obtain divine powers through communication with their
gods. Cannibalism was also practiced during times of great
famine.
Papua New Guinea
There have also been reports of tribes in Papua, New Guinea,
known to have practiced endo- and exo-cannibalism up until
the 1960s for ritualistic purposes. Some of the tribes partook of
cannibalism for purposes other than ritual reasons, such as for
the taste. However, a majority of the tribes were known to
mostly consume their dead relatives tissues and brains in a
ceremonial and traditional display of respect.
North American Indians, ( Iroquoian)
 They believed that sacrificing and consuming the bodies of
their enemies would satisfy their war god and lead to their
spirit being transferred and absorbed into their own bodies.
The absorbed spirit was believed to empower the cannibal
with the attributes of the dead person. Moira Martingale,
author of Cannibal Killers, claims that this form of
ritualistic cannibalism was practice by the Iroquoian culture
as recently as 1838.
In many parts of the world cannibalism is not
considered a crime in and of itself and it is often
only recognized in concurrence with another
crime. For example, in Britain and the United
States of America, cannibalism is not considered
to be a felony, but is socially unacceptable.
Those who have been found to participate in the
gruesome act are usually charged with another
crime that is directly related to the act of
cannibalism, such as murder, grave robbery or
necrophilia.
 Some cannibals develop a disease similar to Mad
Cow disease called Prion (or Kuru)that occurs
from consuming diseased human flesh. This can
even be passed from mother to infant.
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