Cannibalism – the usually ritualistic eating of human flesh
by a human being.
There are many reasons why people fear public speaking and
some of them unbelievable. The life and death experiences of biological organisms
become encoded in their DNA for future survival of the species. Humans have instinctive fears. Children who have never seen a snake, a nasty
looking insect, or animals with large incisors react in terror and concern.
Modern people never give a thought to cannibalism. They are not conscious of cannibalism. However, their DNA never forgets and vividly remembers
the past when cannibalism was a risk anytime there was contact with an unknown
tribe hundreds of thousands of years ago or in 1961.
We don’t know much about the social structure of prehistoric
people. They didn’t leave any written
records, but they did leave garbage.
When anthropologists find human remains discarded with garbage, with
human teeth marks and a disrespect for the dead humans then it is an indication
of cannibalism.
In the Atapuerca Mountains in Spain, there is evidence that prehistoric
humans from the species Homo Antecessor were the first confirmed humans in
Europe about 800,000 years ago. There is
evidence they practiced cannibalism.
There are very graphic and gruesome displays of prehistoric
cannibalism in the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Madrid and the Museo de la
Evolucion Humana in Burgos, both in Spain.
In the Paleolithic world, the worst that could happen to a
human would be voted out of the tribe. Banishment
from the tribe meant certain death either from starvation, being devoured by carnivorous
megafauna such sabretooth tigers or the worst, contact with rival human tribes
with cannibalistic practices.
Paleolithic individuals quickly learned not to antagonize
the moderators of communication in the tribe or risk banishment. (Just like in modern Toastmaster Facebook
Groups where unpopular or politically incorrect comments are quickly censored and
banished.) In ancient times it was best
to be quiet and survive.
Michael Rockefeller was unavailable for comment on this blog
post.
(A sad note: Michael
Rockefeller disappeared in Papua New Guinea in 1961. Michael was 23 years old
and went missing while collecting primitive art. He was the privileged son of New York
Governor (and subsequent Vice President of the United States serving with
President Gerald Ford) Nelson Rockefeller.
He was the great-grandson of John D Rockefeller perhaps the richest man
to ever live and Michael extremely wealthy via trust funds. Tragically, it is believed he was tortured, killed
and eaten by the Asmat people. His body
was never found. The details of this story not for the weak of heart.
Respect and Free our
Toastmaster Members.
