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    Anthropology

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    15 views9 pages

    Overing Images of Cannibalism

    Uploaded by

    atum_
    Anthropology

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 9
    5 Images of Cannibalism, Death and Domination in a ‘Non-Violent’ Society Joanna Overing For the Pao, jungle people who dvell slong tributaries ofthe Ornac in ‘Vener all death xcs by murder through sorcery, with sorcerers ot foreign eres usually judged ax guilty of his murder. Punishment i drastic tnd earl out through the means of what madera Fist young mn once fefsrd on jest asthe Para bona powerful revenge agi that eases the ta extraction ofthe community of the murderer andthe ussite of all ofits iahabitams, After an adult Piaro’s death, the members of the ‘victim's fami take certain parts of the decease anatomy ~ the right index finger, the shin ro the underside ofthe sigh ot gern onal nd teeth ~ toa pomerful Paros shaman, who then performs the complicit ‘ital of sevenge The shaman snakes sve packages each coetning ‘mixur ofthe aomicl parts combined with Yarious violent poisons. The ‘esting pion sso daily that the partner rer careful otto ouch ny of dring processing. A bast ofthe poisonous packages, atch! to ‘Mong cod i hag over a specially bu wooden construction The ther end ofthe cod shld by members ofthe decease’ far doing the eo days thatthe shaman chants over the packages ving them tei force by Bowe his words int them. Lying onthe ground near te family area mur of “Te ator oon wih th pe war a1 197 at Erect nen re Te Images of Connibalrm Dasth and Domination a sharp tes suchas knives, aes, machetes ~ allstems that can be sed for Filing bt which ae never inplemented by the Pion in physical rely, [Nevethees, the presence ofthe ate the ceremony tues the ass ‘lea ntenion to avenge the death of tet reltive through Vokent means “There ae many versions of the bomb’ force, one big that the shaman imhischanting ranstoems the potion ao the Tai Anacaa seer deity inhi orm as anaconda. The transormed packages are paced inthe hollow ‘of several tee, the umber determined By the sength ofthe devastation Sought. They ae then thy ire, and ie du throagh soak that hee force caved tothe murderer's village. ‘The anaconda upon is arial at he vilige pastes ino the murderers body, consumes hin and then moves 0 hirelitivesand other members ofthe village eating them ane by one When the burning toes the avenging wile fall down, an earthquake completes the destruction ofthe foreign vile. 1 he murderers known by the family ofthe deceased ad access thi is pes, ales drastic revenge can be enacted where only the guy one i Ells, Some lefvover food ofthe murderer sf 1 4 singing ant: upon finishing the fon, the ant eaves into the stomach of the mordere 1 compete the meal after which travels 0 the hear, east and the ‘murderer of curse dies, For the Piao al killing i form of canal, aldhough intro, ad al death proces of bring eaten. While daease isnot neces eased by ‘oil, nevertheless alae violence infeted pon one ing "tone inthe ead blog dato arow in the stomach, a stone Blocking theastriey, ai hok nthe tre, It isalsoalnayra proces cf Seingeaten, During the care, the body becomes a veal btleground. The pation’ stomach, trnsformed into agar hy the sarap joins other ering ores slo ealed into the patent, to devout the lores and sits of disease which hve taken will habitation within the body. The sakes af the cansalistic tate ar high ~ the Mor the death ofthe sticken one. “The Par themselves never kill through what we wou classify 2s physical violence Fora Para to commit murder by means of hie er ‘owe Fads’ would be unthinkable todo so would be viewed asa fil diet at of ‘nna which would have» dzstroas effec on the Lille. Sech ll = ‘yuivaleat to having eaten the siti and the murderer woul immediatly {liool sure, « disse where the trac ard the intestines il up with the ‘steno, with death coming at tei defcaio, To murder, one must act iniety by sening a srropate eter wihin the quarts stones ene send hgh sorry tothe vc shoul be mentioned chat Pave shamans ‘te llamo in the regan of dhe Mile Orinoco for die considerate ils in sorcery an wizardry 88 Joanne Overing “THE RHETORIC OF PEACE AND THE RHETORIC OF VIOLENCE “The Paron ideology of violence td canna is associated with a social inte of extremely peacell ling Paroulund ia place almost total free of {UL Forme of phytic! violence, where children, tcenager, and als alike fever express thc anger through physical means. Children ae no physically ‘eprinaned spouses ae not sock. The Piro are appalled by ny dply of ‘seuesion, mck less pial aggression, andthe place immense value ‘pon personal odertion in behaviour (see Overing 1985a. Powerful as 2 ‘Shaman lender i prerve be, e also che knowledgeable teacher ofthe ‘hcl values of fades sotonomy, equaty, and wanquly. The more powerel the shaman leader, the more humble is his demeanour tnd personal omportinee a responsible man of political flrs. nthe irc view, thay have eratiated oerion as bath» polical and socal fore within society. ‘Their reasons for such edition lsd gt to an understanding of the concurrence in Pinon society of extaceinay images of violence and an ‘ually strong shetrs of peace trough which the god socal lies lays ‘uated with the tangal one where individuals are ether eoereed nor ‘subject the aggression of Kinsmen and neighbours. Pro retsoning soot violence frm par of «mere general theory which

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