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There are many theories and research that are in existence which delve in to the cannibalistic behavior among residents of Fiji islands. According to Kathryn Meyers Emery in “The Feast of Men: Cannibalism in Fiji”, understanding the nature of cannibalism is difficult and complex. One of the reasons for this is our own Western ideas and pre-conceived notions about the issue. In the context of Fiji, there are many reasons for the prevalence of cannibalism. Contrary to popular belief cannibalism does not only involve foreigners but also people from the same culture. It is not necessary that the practice is carried out for the sole purpose of dietary stress. It can be done for sustenance and nutrition or from the practice of rituals and rites of dead relatives. From the various ethno historic and bone studies, scientists have concluded that the ritual of cannibalism exists in Fiji, the reasons for the same have not been studied in any detail.
Early evidence of these rituals is provided by writings of Rev David Cargill, Methodist Missionary in 1839. In his article on “Cannibalism in Fiji”, he quotes his experiences where he was witness to the cooking and eating of twenty bodies of men, women and children in Rewa, Fiji. Many of these practices were as a result of war. The victims of war were killed and brought home as prizes to be eaten. Some of the other atrocities involved women and children who were treated as slaves and kept tied to masts. The children were also beaten and tortured. Another story from Jaggar, Methodist Missionary, Fiji, 1844, mentions the punishment meted out by the King to a servant who had escaped. The servant’s arm was cut off and eaten by the King as punishment. Rev. John Watsford, Ono, Fiji, November 6, 1846, also writes about tribes called Somosomo, who were seen eating human flesh at Bau. Chiefs of tribes were seen carrying cooked humans and pigs on 2 shoulders. Many of them practiced the habit of eating human flesh like chewing of tobacco. Alfred St Johnston, Traveller, Fiji Islands in “Camping Among Cannibals”, Macmillan, 1883, mentions that the tribes at Bau regularly practiced slaughter of human beings and made a sport out of killing the victims.
Though there are many witnesses to such brutal and violent practices, there are other anthropologists like Kathryn who believe that the reasons for cannibalism in Fiji are many and more research is needed. She writes about the fact that evidence of endo-cannibalism has been seen but these could be due to mortuary practices and not cannibalism. Jonah, in his commentary on “A brief history of cannibalism in the Fiji islands 4/18/2011”, writes about how his grandfather told him stories of cannibalism in Fiji. According to this theory the Fijians were forced to practice cannibalism because of hunger on long voyages at sea. Lack of proper nutrition forced sailors to consume the dead voyagers. When these voyagers reached Fiji, the practice became a regular part of their diet. S. Jones, H. Walsh-Haney & R. Quinn (2012) in “Kana Tamata or Feasts of Men: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Identifying Cannibalism in Prehistoric Fiji”, have conducted research and bone studies among 24 archaeological sites in Fiji, 14 with human remains and 2 were cemeteries. A total of 20 remains were examined with isotopes to analyze the cause of death and post-mortem treatments. It was seen that 12 of the 15 samples had faced sharp force trauma (SFT), normally seen in cannibalism. Many of the cuts were at or around joints, which indicates removal of flesh. However isotope analysis showed very low chance or evidence of human flesh consumption. Most of the results showed consumption of marine or plant diet. In conclusion, one can infer that more research is needed in this area on the nature and causes of the practice of cannibalism in Fiji.
Bibliography
K.M. Emery. “The Feast of Men: Cannibalism in Fiji.” https://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/the-feast-of-men-cannibalism-in-fiji/
Rev. D. Cargill, Jaggar, Rev. J. Watsford, A. St. Johnston. “Cannibalism in the Fiji Islands.” http://www.heretical.com/cannibal/fiji.html
J. Vatunigere. “A brief history of cannibalism in the Fiji islands.” https://jonahvatunigere.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/the-history-of-cannibalism-in-the-fiji-islands-4152011/
S. Jones, H. Walsh-Haney and R. Quinn. “Kana Tamata or Feasts of Men: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Identifying Cannibalism in Prehistoric Fiji.” International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 25: 127–145 (2015), Published online 17 September 2012 in Wiley Online Library, (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/oa.2269
