CROW and the CAVE - Cannibalism in Prehistoric America.

Figure One - Scene of cannibalism in Brazil in 1644 by Jan van Kessel

One of the most frequently asked questions about my prehistoric adventure series the SHADOWS on the TRAIL TRILOGY is about cannibalism in prehistoric times. In my first book SHADOWS on the TRAIL, which took place around 10,700 years ago, I introduced human sacrifice and cannibalism. I introduced these practices in my book for its shock appeal, but also because I believe that both happened in prehistoric times. Don't get me wrong, I do not believe human sacrifice and cannibalism were dominant cultural practices in Prehistoric America, but archaeological evidence indicates that it did happen, and we have to acknowledge that. We know that human sacrifice and cannibalism was documented by the Spaniards in Central and South America in early historical times.

Below is a passage from my first book SHADOWS on the TRAIL where a priest called Sica performs a human sacrifice on a slave and then the flesh from that human sacrifice was consumed by the people of the village. A huntress called Namid responds in horror at the end of the passage.  

While praying and chanting, Sica pulled out a long obsidian knife blade from his robe and held it high. The woman struggled and the three warriors held her against the granite boulder, attempting to hold her still. Sica then turned the knife blade downward in his outstretched arms and plunged the knife blade deep into the chest of the woman. The woman’s body violently jerked upwards when the knife penetrated her lungs, followed by a muffled gasp. Sica pulled the knife from her chest. He had stabbed the woman with such force that the knife blade had snapped in two. He pulled a second obsidian knife from his robe and cut the woman’s flesh below her sternum with the sharp blade. He quickly sawed a large hole in her flesh, probing under the woman’s rib cage with the knife blade and his other hand. Finally, he found the woman’s heart and cut the flesh around it. He pulled the woman’s heart from her body and raised it to the sky. He then put the heart to his mouth and bit off a large piece of it. Some of the people in the crowd cheered while Sica, blood dripping down his chin, smiled at the crowd with delight. To'sarre stood rigid, disgusted with what he had just witnessed.

“STOP!” Namid shrieked. “NO!”

Not every one agrees that cannibalism existed in prehistoric times. In his 1979 book, The Man Eating Myth, author William Arens stated that "There is limited evidence for the possibility of cannibalism in prehistoric times." Arens believed that

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cannibalism was only related to isolated starvation situations, much like the snowbound Donner Party in 1846-47.        

Since Mr. Arens researched and wrote his book, archaeologists have discovered more evidence for cannibalism during prehistoric times. Just do an internet search on 'Cannibalism in Prehistory' and there are hundreds of results. Just like everything else on the internet, you have to be cautious about what to believe, but there is a significant amount of legitimate information about cannibalism in Prehistoric America.

What we may never know is whether or not cannibalism was done for sustenance or ritual or both. 
As far as sustenance is concerned, humans are not that nutritious. James Cole of the University of Brighton determined that an adult human male of 66 kilograms contained 144,000 total calories. Of this, 32,000 of these calories came from skeletal muscle. In comparison, the skeletal muscle of a mammoth contains 3,600,000 calories, a horse 200,100 calories, a red deer 163,680 calories and a Saiga antelope 31,500 (similar to a human male).

Figure Three - Illustration by Dami Lee

The second reason for cannibalism might have been a part of a ritual. Prehistoric humans were superstitious of things they knew little about. We see this in their art. We know from historical accounts that the religions of some historical Indian tribes believed that it was possible to capture an animal's spirit by eating its flesh. Perhaps, some prehistoric people believed the same thing about human cuisine. Or perhaps, cannibalism came from a need to dominate. In my latest book, CROW and the CAVE, I explain my reasons for using cannibalism. Read CROW and the CAVE to see what I think.

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