The research paper, “An Examination of Cannibalistic Ancestry,” provides scientific evidence that cannibalism has existed throughout human history.
At the same time, the author of the paper presents the reasoning of those that assert that cannibalism has not been widespread in the history of humanity. The author discusses modern cannibalism to boot, mainly to confirm the evidence that early humans did indeed eat their fellow beings. Even so, cannibalism does not seem to have been common in early human times, and nor is it very common today.The idea of man eating man is revolting, just as the idea of man killing man is appalling. Nevertheless, the needy man who could not find food has been known to kill a fellow being for survival for a long time. The author presents modern evidence to reveal that man has been eating man in prison camps and during wars, just for survival.
And yet, this is not evidence enough to make the majority of scientists and other experts believe that it is common for man to eat his fellow beings.Cannibalism may have existed as a ritual for some early civilizations, tribes, or peoples. The research paper states, “Anthropologists have documented several cases of ritual cannibalism among ancient cultures where the defeated fighters were eaten so that the victors could absorb their enemy’s power. ” All the same, there is no evidence that cannibalism was widespread among early humans. Another case of cannibalism among early humans would make it abundantly clear that man was not traditionally used to eating his fellow beings.The American tribe of Anasazi was a “large group.
” In the area of the Anasazi, anthropologists have found thirty five people’s mutilated bones. The bones of the thirty five Anasazi people that were discovered, had been “covered with scratch marks from tools where the flesh was stripped. Many of the bones were broken open so the marrow could be removed.”The author explains that the people whose bones were found in this horrible state were “probably related. ” Moreover, there is a controversy that surrounds the reports of alleged cannibalism among the Anasazi people.
This is because nobody can tell “who committed these acts or why. ” The reader may also argue that it is not certain that the bones were found mutilated due to cannibalism. What if the Anasazi people were conducting some early age scientific experiment? Or, what if they believed that they could use the flesh and the marrow of thirty five humans to cure a disease?Besides, the fact that there were only thirty five people from a “large group” whose bones were found mutilated, definitely disproves the hypothesis that cannibalism was widespread among the Anasazi people. It may similarly be argued that the victims belonged to a particular tribe or family that had been killed in an extremely brutal manner by their enemies, who may have belonged to another tribe of family. Perhaps the most important case in the examination of cannibalism among early humans is that of “genetic markers.
” This case also does not provide adequate evidence to support the theory that the majority of early humans were man eaters.According to the author, scientists believe that humans can acquire protection from prion diseases, which are a particular form of brain diseases, by consuming “tainted human flesh. ” Additionally, individuals whose ancestors consumed “tainted human flesh,” have “one healthy copy and one mutated copy of a specific protein. ”The “native Fore tribe” of Papa New Guinea has been reported to have consumed tainted human flesh as a ritual.
When a specific prion disease by the name of kuru hit their area from 1920 to 1960, scientists found that 23 out of 30 people who participated in their study, and who were survivors, had the genetic marker to reveal that their ancestors had consumed their fellow beings. Once again, the fact that a certain tribe of Papa New Guinea consumed human flesh does not prove that all early humans were man eaters.Even though the theory of genetic markers may be true, the researchers who conducted the study in modern Papa New Guinea did not include every survivor of kuru in their research. Neither did the researchers travel throughout the world conducting such research on everybody on the planet. The Aztecs were “alleged to be blood drinkers. ” And, it is quite possible that many early and modern tribes believe in cannibalism.
Nevertheless, there is no proof that a vast majority of human beings, in earlier or modern times, have participated in rituals of cannibalism.As the author of the research paper states: “Many taboos deal with manners and vary a great deal from one culture to another but forbidding the act of eating ones own kind can be found all over the world. ” Almost all cultures around the world similarly detest the concept of man killing man. Even so, manslaughter has existed, although it is not true that all human beings are killers of their fellow beings.
Hence, it is correct to suppose that cannibalism has existed throughout human history without the majority of human beings engaged in it.
