Welcome to our blog on Cannibalism in the American Southwest! We invite
you on our journey towards better understanding this fascinating and
controversial topic. In this first blog entry we will discuss a key article
that helped form the modern knowledge of cannibalism in the Southwest by
Christy G. Turner II and Jacqueline A. Turner. They write about Walter Hough, a
Smithsonian archaeologist who made the first claim to have found evidence of
Native American cannibalism in 1901. The article provides unique insight about
the validity of his claims and sheds light on whether cannibalism can be
rightfully declared or not. But first, let’s take a step back and focus on our
pre-conceived notions and perceptions of cannibalism as a whole.
For most, the word “cannibalism” alone conjures up terrifying yet
morbidly fascinating images and conceptions. We imagine the murderous madman,
Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who is arguably one
of the most “well-known” cannibals in modern fiction. More disturbingly
though are historical accounts of American serial killers who have been known
to practice cannibalism on their victims, such as Jeffery Dahmer and Albert
Fish. In order to better understand this topic though, we need to detach
ourselves from our view of cannibals as raging lunatics and focus more on the
cultural and social significance of the alleged cannibalistic tendencies of
Native Americans in the Southwest.
The Turner article attempts to shed light on cannibalistic practices of
the Anasazi people of Northern Arizona. The Anasazi people were the ancient
ancestors of the modern-day Pueblo Native Americans and mainly inhabited
present-day Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Walter Hough found
butchered remains of bones that seemed to suggest heavy violence had been
bestowed upon them before their demise. For example, bones appeared to have
sustained “breakage, burning, cutting, anvil abrasions, and missing/smashed
vertebrae” (Turner & Turner 1992). These markings were “proof” for Hough
that they practiced cannibalism. The Canyon Butte 3 Multiple Burial Lot was the
excavated area and contained mainly adult male and female victims, according to
data being done on remaining dental fossils. They were said to have lived
around 1000-1200 AD, but many of the bones are fractured and incomplete, making
them harder to date and analyze (Turner & Turner 1992).
This is just the first step towards forming a decisive opinion on the
existence and potential significance of cannibalism in the Southwest. Some
argue that the evidence provided for cannibalism is inconclusive and suggest
the remains shed light onto the violent nature of their deaths, but calling the
Anasazi people cannibals is unwarranted. What would be their motive to kill and
consume a victim, though? Was it a religious or cultural belief, or were the
bodies found at Canyon Butte simply the remains of a violent altercation.
Nevertheless, this topic still proves to be as controversial and thought
provoking as it was when first presented to the public in Harper’s Monthly
Magazine over one hundred years ago. As we progress, we must also take into
account the modern view of the Pueblo descendents and their take on the
allocations made concerning their ancestors.
We hope you have been inspired to re-visit our blog and continue to
learn (as we learn!) more about this ancient mystery.
Feel free to
keep us “posted” and place any comments/concerns in the suggestion box provided
on this webpage!
-AAC
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| Christy Turner in Anasazi remains |
Cited:
Turner,
Christy G. & Turner, Jacqueline A. “The First Claim for Cannibalism in the
Southwest: Walter Hough’s 1901 Discovery at Canyon Butte Ruin 3, Nothereaster
Arizona” American Antiquity. Vol. 57
No. 4 pp. 661-682
Images: Turner: Los Angeles Times http://www.trussel.com/prehist/news128.htm
Lecter: http://blog.omy.sg/aussiepete/files/2011/11/hannibal01.jpg
