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Cannibals were picky eaters? |
TikiTomD
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: Sep 20, 2009
Posts: 629
From: Flagler Beach, FL
|  Posted: 2011-12-30 1:13 pm Permalink
From the Google News archives 25 years ago comes this article asserting that Christian missionaries were rarely an impulse snack...
The Free Lance-Star November 5, 1986 (page 12)
You might find the Reverend Mr. Brown a bit skeptical of the prior article’s conclusions, according to this 128-year old article from the National Library of New Zealand archives...
Otago Daily Times March 31, 1883
-Tom
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MadDogMike
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 6397
From: The Anvil of the Sun
| Posted: 2011-12-30 1:28 pm Permalink
"I hold that it is not a missionary's duty to be eaten until he has expended his last cartridge"
That's rich!
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komohana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 348
From: western australia
| Posted: 2011-12-30 5:44 pm Permalink
culturally sensitive to some but an extremely interesting topic none the less,
possibly general forum worthy Tom?
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VampiressRN
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: Nov 23, 2006
Posts: 5085
From: Sin City Lincoln Hills (NorCal)
| Posted: 2011-12-31 01:36 am Permalink
Gruesome visions in my head from reading those articles, but very interesting. I guess getting a good BBQ recipe is out of the question?
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TikiTomD
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Sep 20, 2009
Posts: 629
From: Flagler Beach, FL
| Posted: 2011-12-31 07:01 am Permalink
MDM, that article is rich throughout. It clearly underscores that the missionaries were, unwitting or not, sort of the special forces of the colonial nations, landing on remote beach heads in what could be a suicide mission to collect intel and “civilize” the indigenous peoples, preparing them for later settlement and exploitation by the colonial powers and their merchants. This is clearly a sensitive subject all around. There were many selfless clerics who, in addition to fulfilling their holy calling, gave their all in trying to serve and protect the native peoples from the colonial tidal wave that inevitably followed them.
Komohana, only TC Moderators have the power to move threads among forums. This thread could go either way, up to General Tiki or downward to Bilge, depending on the responses and desires of the Ohana. I tried to strike a balance, as the subject is serious and clearly plays in Poly pop iconography. But in dealing with its serious nature, folks will naturally lighten the topic up a bit. I’m not immune to that myself.
So, VampiressRN, you’re wondering if there is a cannibal’s version of Louis Spievak’s Barbecue Chef, perhaps a Bobby Flay recipe for grilling puaka `enata, literally Marquesan for “pig people” but roughly translated as long pig... with parental controls alarming, the search engine did come up with this recipe for Kalua Long Pig. Don’t overlook the oiling and massaging 
In the following article, Lord Shackleton insists that cannibals are discerning, even health conscious eaters...
The Age March 22, 1963 (page 3)
Here’s a 64-year old article from the Google News archives with a little-known story involving Abraham Lincoln and Marquesan cannibals...
Sarasota Herald-Tribune February 12, 1948 (page 13)
-Tom
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TikiTomD
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Sep 20, 2009
Posts: 629
From: Flagler Beach, FL
| Posted: 2011-12-31 1:07 pm Permalink
Lord Shackleton was apparently correct, as this article from more than 130 years ago indicates a belief that American missionaries were unhealthy to consume for one reason or another in The Cannibal Islands (now know as Fiji), and there was a marked preference for British missionaries...
The New York Times April 11, 1881
-Tom
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VampiressRN
Grand Member (5 years)
Joined: Nov 23, 2006
Posts: 5085
From: Sin City Lincoln Hills (NorCal)
| Posted: 2011-12-31 2:30 pm Permalink
Once again eerie but fascinating. The utensils are unique too!!!
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komohana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 348
From: western australia
| Posted: 2011-12-31 8:33 pm Permalink
A very serious topic indeed, and to take the focus off the pacific island nations for a moment,
it probably should be remembered that cannibalism was/is not confined to that part of the world.
For example, various parties here in Australia have sought to gain political milage from tales of
cannibalism, particularly [but not exclusively] among the aboriginal tribes of our eastern seaboard.
There are literally days of reading to wade through so i'll just post a few links and anyone interested
can make of it all what they will...
http://www.warriors.egympie.com.au/cannibalism.html
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/40001
...and an exceptionally interesting article here;
http://sydney.edu.au/law/slr/slr27_4/Biber.pdf
Tales of cannibalism among early seafarers are also nothing new, with established traditions dating back
hundreds of years;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_of_the_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Dudley_and_Stephens
Also worth a look for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, is the film "Van Diemens Land", the incredibly
bleak but utterly compelling tale of british/irish convicts transported to the penal colonies in
Van Diemens Land, later to become the state of Tasmania.
http://www.vandiemensland-themovie.com/
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MadDogMike
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 6397
From: The Anvil of the Sun
| Posted: 2012-01-01 08:18 am Permalink
Tom, that 1881 New York Times article is hilarious - it seems to be written a bit "tongue in cheek", satire is something we are not used to seeing in our newspapers today except in the editorial cartoons.
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TikiTomD
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Sep 20, 2009
Posts: 629
From: Flagler Beach, FL
| Posted: 2012-01-01 11:47 am Permalink
VampiressRN, if I ever get to Fiji and see that implement brought out, I’ll know what (or rather who) is for dinner.
Mahalo, komohana, for all of the interesting, if grisly, reading material on the subject, all of it new to me. Your point is well taken; cannibalism was not limited to any particular region of the world. In fact, the word itself originated from my part of the world, in the West Indies, according to this reference article in scribd.com...
Quote:
| Caribs, native people formerly inhabiting the Lesser Antilles, West Indies. They seem to have overrun the Lesser Antilles and to have driven out the Arawak about a century before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. The original name by which the Caribs were known, Galibi, was corrupted by the Spanish to Caníbal and is the origin of the English word cannibal. Extremely warlike and ferocious, they practiced cannibalism and took pride in scarification (ritual cutting of the skin) and fasting...
They were a warlike and savage people who are reported to have barbecued their captives and washed them down with cassava beer. In the History of Barbados, for example, it is reported that Caribs ate an entire French crew in 1596. They were incredibly accurate bowmen and used a powerful poison to paralyze their prey. |
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Mike, that was most certainly a bit of 19th century political satire, but it sure fit in with the topic!
Since VampiressRN introduced us to the subject of cannibal forks, here is a related article from more than 100 years ago that really shows its cultural bias... oh, those sly cannibal Fijians...
The Reading Eagle July 1, 1899 (page 3)
As cannibalism evolved to tourism, we have this report, again where the cultural lens of the times is so evident...
The Windsor Daily Star December 22, 1956 (page 14)
And from the Google News archive, we have this 1922 fictional tale by Richard Connell of an Ohio barber who fantasizes a South Seas adventure, then decides to make it real, “Mr. Potter and the South Sea Cannibals”(page 30)...
-Tom
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TikiTomD
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Sep 20, 2009
Posts: 629
From: Flagler Beach, FL
| Posted: 2012-01-02 08:33 am Permalink
An interesting tale of a Yankee cannibal king; later reports suggest that this story was not wholly accurate; for example, Rumrill was not shipwrecked but deserted...
The Reading Eagle July 6, 1902 (page 9)
So, when and where was the last cannibal? From various regions, here are a sampling of reports from the National Library of New Zealand and Google News archives...
Wanganui Herald March 25, 1872
Ashburton Guardian January 16, 1897
Wanganui Herald June 15, 1901
The Miami News-Metropolis July 28, 1923 (page 15)
In some parts of the world, old ways may remain (though not cited, that may also include remote areas of South America and Africa)...
The Leader-Post May 19, 1959
The Windsor Star February 20, 1973 (page 12)
The Standard October 18, 2011
-Tom
[ This Message was edited by: TikiTomD 2012-01-03 03:03 ]
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VampiressRN
Grand Member (5 years)
Joined: Nov 23, 2006
Posts: 5085
From: Sin City Lincoln Hills (NorCal)
| Posted: 2012-01-02 9:38 pm Permalink
YIKES...that is some scary reading. Fascinating but scary!!!
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komohana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 348
From: western australia
| Posted: 2012-02-18 03:17 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-12-31 20:33, komohana wrote:
Tales of cannibalism among early seafarers are also nothing new |
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An extremely interesting example of this is the incredible but true saga befalling the hapless crew of the
American whaling ship "Essex".
A first-hand account of the tragedy, by the first mate Owen Chase, can be found here:
http://www.riapress.com/Narrative-of-the-Wreck-of-the-Whaleship-Essex/?-session=StoreSession:42F948990333828556THFF9B6743
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TikiTomD
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Sep 20, 2009
Posts: 629
From: Flagler Beach, FL
| Posted: 2012-02-26 1:57 pm Permalink
Bob, I finally got a chance to read the entire story of the Essex... that was as dreadful a tale of privation as any I've come across. In the case of the Essex, the cannibals weren't picky eaters, as survival rather than ritual was the motivation. Interesting, too, this tale's role in the genesis of Melville's Moby Dick.
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*** WARNING ***
This thread isn't really good fare for those with delicate sensibilities. That is especially true for the material that follows, which contains graphic images of a cannibal luau in preparation.
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From a March 25, 1940 article in Life Magazine...
Letters to the editor on the article appeared in the April 15, 1940 issue of Life Magazine...
-Tom
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komohana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 348
From: western australia
| Posted: 2012-02-26 6:15 pm Permalink
Aloha Tom, fascinating material as always.
Yes, the tale of the Essex - probably the quintessential account of its type - was indeed the
inspiration for the novel Moby Dick, which was largely ignored at the time of its writing,
only to be "rediscovered" long after Melvilles' death.
Anyhow, to my mind, one of the most interesting aspects of the story regarding the Essex
is that because of their dread at falling into the hands of south sea cannibals, the crew
opted to make for South America...and consequently were forced into cannibalism themselves.
If only they had struck for Tahiti, they might have whiled-away their time in paradise.
[ This Message was edited by: komohana 2012-02-26 23:09 ]
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