Hawaii history and cannibalism

[bystander]

As someone pointed out, anthropologists make distinctions on the types of cannibalism. For example, the Yanomami tribe consume some of the ashes or their dead as part of ritual. This is endocannibalism. I believe the Hawaiians may have practiced something similar, consuming a small part of the dead. A layperson may not make this distinction and consider all forms of cannibalism with the same repugnance.

From Wikipedia:

quote:

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The Yanomami people practice ritual endocannibalism, in which they consume the bones of deceased kinsmen.[16] The body is wrapped in leaves and placed in the forest some distance from the shabono, then after insects have consumed the soft tissue (usually about 30 to 45 days), the bones are collected and cremated. The ashes are then mixed with a kind of soup made from bananas which is consumed by the entire community. The ashes may be preserved in a gourd and the ritual repeated annually until the ashes are gone. In daily conversation, no reference may be made to a dead person except on the annual "day of remembrance", when the ashes of the dead are consumed and people recall the lives of their deceased relatives. This tradition is meant to strengthen the Yanomami people and keep the spirit of that individual alive.

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