Quote:Why do they kill someone and eat him? What is the reason?
From the work of one of my Anthropology professors*,who did his field work work in Highland new Guinea.He wrote of this encounter with a local "Big Man" "
Prof: "Do you eat your enemies to gain their qualities,such as courage" ?
Big Man: (as if to a rather dim child); "If I eat a bird will I be able to fly? We ate our enemies because they taste really good"*
The "civilised explanation: Lack of protein in the diet. THE staple in Highland New Guinea is sago,with almost no protein. Pigs are so important that women commonly suckle piglets. As in many tribal societies,enemies are not considered "real people".It's therefore perfectly moral to kill and eat them.
*Source;Professor Tom Ernst,(unpublished) Phd Thesis "The Significance Of The Sago Grub Amongst The Onabosalu People Of Highland New Guinea"
