The Tupinambá were an indigenous people that lived in modern-day Brazil, and occupied extensive areas of the Brazilian coast during the 16th century. They were fierce warriors, and became famous for their anthropophagic rituals, narrated by Hans Staden, in his book True History: An Account of Cannibal Captivity in Brazil (1557); by André Thevet in his book Singularities of France Antarctique (1558); by Jean de Léry, in his book History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil (1578); and others. Anthropophagy is often mistaken with cannibalism, but the two are different concepts. While cannibalism is the practice of eating human flesh as food, anthropophagy was a ritual, in which its participants believed they would absorb the strength and skills of the person they were eating, or it could be done for vengeance.
The first Europeans to arrive in Brazil were the Portuguese, but soon other Europeans, such as the French, sailed to Brazil, looking for adventure and riches. The indigenous tribes had their own enemies and allies among other tribes and European countries. The Tupinambá were friends with the French, and were enemies of the Tupiniquim tribe and their ally, the Portuguese. Therefore, explorers who were taken captive by the Tubinambás tried to escape their captivity by convincing the natives they were French.
Tupinambás were fierce warriors. A member became important within their tribe by killing many enemies. When it came to eating their enemies, they also had a specific ritual that is described by Hans Staden, who was able to escape his captivity. The prisoner was first integrated to the tribe, living there for a period of time that could last for over a year, but he was still seen as an enemy. They would also give the prisoner a woman, and if he had a child with the woman, the tribe would raise the child, who could also be eaten by the tribe.
In the days before the sacrifice, the Tupinambás would drink, sing and dance, inviting their friends to partake in the ritual. When the day of the sacrifice arrived, the Tupinambás tied a rope around the prisoner's waist, and then they held the rope to ensure the prisoner was unable to move. A member of the tribe then stood behind the prisoner and hit him in the neck with a club (it was considered an honor to be the one to kill the prisoner). After the prisoner fell on the ground, they carried him to the fire, where they cut his body into pieces.
They ate their victim's flesh while drinking an alcoholic drink made of cassava. The parts of the body were divided among the members of the tribe. The men would eat the intestine and meat from the head, the legs and arms were cut and given to the women, children would eat the brain and the tongue, and the viscera was boiled to make a soup (called mingau). After the feast was over, the one who killed the prisoner would be given a new name and would receive a scar in his arm.
The ritual intrigued the Europeans, who sought to end it. During the 16th any tupinambás were killed by the Portuguese, and those who didn't die in combat died from the many diseases the Europeans brought from Europe. Nowadays a few Tupinambás are left in the state of Bahia, Brazil (but anthropophagy is no longer practiced). Other indigenous people from around the world have also practiced anthropophagy, including the Aztecs. Even though this practice is considered to be extinct in the world, many people still study it and try to understand what motivated people to partake in anthropophagic rituals.
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