Cannibalism and sociology.The word “cannibal” comes from the Arawan language, which was spoken by a tribe in South America who performed the practice. Cannibalism is characterized by the consumption of body parts of an individual of the same species. There is evidence that cannibalism has been present in Africa, South America, North America, the South Pacific islands and the West Indies.
Throughout history, the most common causes that led to the practice of cannibalism were indigenous rituals and mystical beliefs. In some tribes it was believed that when the individual ate the flesh of another, he received all his strength and power. For this reason, the Aztecs sacrificed and ate prisoner-of-war warriors from other tribes in order to possess their skills.
There are few cases of cannibalism in modern society. One occurred in 1972, after an accident involving an Uruguayan Air Force plane, which was carrying the country’s Rugby Team. The plane crashed in the Andes and only 16 people were saved. After being saved, they confessed that they had to eat the bodies of those who had died in order to survive. In addition to the cases of this character, there are those considered to be extremely pathological, as in the case of the German Fritz Harmann, in 1924; the Russian Andrei Chikatilo, in the 80s and 90s; and also the German Armin Meiwes in 2002.
From a legal point of view, cannibalism is considered a crime of mutilation and desecration of a corpse. In society’s view, it is a disgusting, immoral and disrespectful act for human beings.
