Cannibalism - A Most Human Thing To Do

Humans like to do a lot of things to our enemies when we've vanquished them. Such as desecrating their bodies like how Achilles pulled Hectors body using a chariot. Eating their dead foes like what's going on in the Congo today. Raping the vulnerable members of the enemy society or taking their young so they can culture-washed. One of the most endearing things people like to do to each other is eat each other. I'm sure there's lots of reasons for consuming the flesh of another human being. Necessity for survival, cultural practises and of course the favourite - insanity. I'm more interested in cultural necessity. What causes society to adopt Cannibalism as a major part of their culture? What made the Aztecs of Central Mexico, Papua New Guineans and Maoris eat their enemies?

For starters, these societies were highly belligerent. The Aztecs conquered most of their neigbhours and had "Flower Wars" with those they'd already conquered to keep their stock of human blood fresh. Papua New Guineans couldn't start an upward trend in their demography until they stopped waging tribal warfare and Maoris ate other Maoris especially during their musket wars and any European sailor that happened to end up their captive. In fact, when they committed genocide on the Chatham Islands upon the Moriori's, they ate them on masse.

These societies are also littered with taboos and are highly religious. The only reason why the Aztecs sacrificed so many people was because they thought by doing so they'd keep the sun alive for another 52 years. The Papua New Guineans were also strongly attached to their cultural beliefs and even made new ones such as Cargo-Cults when Europeans arrived. The Maoris lived from infancy to old age according to tapu (or sacred taboos) while respecting the mana of their chiefs.

It seems that endemic warfare with the powerful addition of religion can allow Cannibalism to become entrenched in a society. With, or without disastrous consequences. Aztec flower wars brought them enemies which the Spanish utilized, Papua New Guineans began dying of brain diseases via eating human brains. Maoris shot and ate one another during the Musket Wars which nearly destroyed them.

I highly doubt in today's world that Congolese would adopt Cannibalism as the way to go. Guerrilla cults have brought it in as a way to sow terror and to have "spiritual acceptance" to the crimes they commit daily in Central Africa. Besides, one of the greatest fears of an African is to be eaten alive. When slavery hit a peak in the 18th century, inland West Africans believed Europeans took slaves to eat them. Humans are a strange species, we're the only Planetary Predator that also kills one another for cultural reasons. This is what happens when you're a thinking ape.... a killing ape.