When individuals from the same tribe or geographic region consume the flesh of their dead, they participate in a behavior known as “endocannibalism.” Human cannibalism has been conducted in the past, and lately, a group of South Americans displayed the same behavior. They are surviving off the bones of their forebears.
Wari people of Western Brazil were noted for their practice of endocannibalism. When other Wari corpses have been burnt, they have always been consumed after being housed in a mortuary. On the contrary, the rest of the family would consider your unwillingness to adopt the tradition as improper.
According to legend, when a Yanomamo family loses a member in a violent death, they ritualistically devour their forebears’ crushed bones and the remnants of their burnt corpses. Such acts, it was usually assumed, were motivated by an individual’s need to consume protein, among other meals.
Rather than surrender to western society, the aforementioned indigenous communities have showed a great determination to keep their own distinct practices and beliefs.
The Yanomani are a naturalized people who hold the notion that a person’s soul should be maintained alive long after their physical body has perished.
They say the corpse should be roasted and consumed by loved ones before it can rest in peace.
