Mortuary Cannibalism

Not a good idea. Who would have thought?

Mortuary cannibalism was a funeral practice once observed by a small number of communities in Papua New Guinea, most notably the Fore people of the Eastern Highlands. Rather than an act of aggression or warfare, it was considered an expression of love, respect, and mourning. Family members consumed the body of the deceased as a way of honoring them, helping their spirit move on, and preventing the body from decaying in the ground.

The practice had an unexpected and tragic consequence. Because women and children were the primary participants, they became the most affected by kuru, a fatal neurological disease that causes tremors, loss of coordination, and progressive brain damage. Researchers eventually discovered that kuru is a prion disease, transmitted through consuming infected brain tissue. This breakthrough fundamentally changed medical science by demonstrating that infectious diseases can be caused by misfolded proteins rather than bacteria or viruses.

Mortuary cannibalism among the Fore largely ended after Australian authorities and local leaders discouraged and prohibited the practice in the late 1950s and early 1960s. However, because kuru can incubate for decades, new cases continued to appear long after the practice had ceased. Today, mortuary cannibalism is a historical tradition rather than a contemporary practice, and its study remains one of the most important discoveries in the history of neuroscience.

I don't know about you, but I hope my children will have me cremated and not chow down on my body. This is obviously an example of when a relative is too close for it to be socially and biologically wise to eat them.

I wonder if they really stopped? New cases appearing long after the practice has ceased - that might just be wishful thinking on the part of the authorities. Gross!