Finally, an Amazonian Argument

(Courtesy Ananya)

"Amid this edenic simplicity, two things appalled the European scientist, the Miranya ate human flesh, and they were active slave raiders. When Martius interrogated a Miranya chief about his eating human meat the Indian gave a reasoned answer:

"whites do not like to eat crocodiles or monkeys even though they are tasty. But if they had fewer turtles and pigs they certainly would eat them-for hunger hurts. All this is merely a question of habit. When I kill an enemy, it is better to eat him than to let him rot: for big game is rare, since it does not lay eggs as turtles do. Death itself is worse than being eaten. If I am killed, it would be of no concern to me, whether or not [my enemies] the Omagua ate me. In fact, I know no game that tastes better [human flesh]-although you whites are too sour."

Despite the good taste of human meat, the Miranya chief said that he would always prefer to sell a captive to the whites than eat him, "for Cachaca rum tastes even better than blood."

(From John Hemming, Amazon Frontier, 212, 3rd full paragraph).


Ananya Chakravarti (note the 'v') is a student of history, increasingly bemoaning the lack of cannibalism amidst Brahmins in Goa.