Secret in the Southwest

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

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