In this thread, Blake posted that in New Zeland some people kept others as essentially “food animals,” which really struck me. I asked for more info, and am now broadening my query, anyone ever hear of such a practice and can recommend me some literature on the subject?
What exactly is the question?
Are the journal references and so forth documenting the practice included in that thread insufficient evidence for you? And if it is then precisely what evidence do you require?
Did anyone ever hear of such a practice? Without a doubt, the practice is quite widely documented.
Can I recommend me some literature on this specific subject? Not really, it’s not like anyone has gone out and written a book entitled “Maori Human Husbandry”. I have found at least passing refernces to the practice in any literature that covers Maori slavery and cannibalism. The eating of slaves comes up quite frequently in the debates of around 10 years ago concerning the motivavtions for Maori cannibalism, primarily because eating of slaves ruled out the cannibalism being simply the eating of slain enemies for ritual purposes.
Other than what Blake and I posted? If you didn’t follow the cites, try getting hold of this book .
Or there’s always that cookbook - what was it called again?
There’s a chapter devoted to Anthropophagy in anthropologist Marvin Harris’ Good to Eat/The Sacred Cow and the Abominable Pig
Not to mention his Cannibals and Kings, as you’d expect:
To Serve Man.
Wasn’t this human husbandry widely practiced by the British in the 70s? I seem to recall seeing a documentary about rampant cannibalism plaguing the British Royal Navy a few years ago.
Along with rum and the lash?
Monty Python isn’t considered a cite in the more respected academic circles
[Monty Python]
“How long is it?”
“98 days”
“98 Days! Men, we’re marooned out here, I’ve got a gammy leg, and there’s no hoppe of rescue. Your only solution is to … eat me.”
“Eat you? With a gammy leg?”
“You don’t have to eat my leg. There’s plenty of good meat here! Look!”
“It’s not that, sir. It’s just that…”
“Out with it!”
“Well, I’d rather eat Johnson, sir.”
“Me, too, sir!”
[/Monty Python]
Au contraire. Monty Python cites
Guy, you seem to think I am questioning the validity of your post. I am not, and I have repeatedly posted that I am interested in the subject. Where you got the idea I was calling you out, I have no idea.
My OP is pretty clear, as I stated I am “broadening my query” beyond what was asked for and provided in the previous thread about the New Zeland folks, now I want to know if other peoples besides those already mentioned did anything similar and can anyone recommend reading material about these other people.
To summarize, I believed what you posted originally and I am not calling you a liar. Now I want to learn about other people besides those you mentioned. Calm the fuck down.
Heh, whaddaya know? But I still maintain the cannibal Royal Navy recruiters sketch was not, in fact, a documentry. 
Maybe you should check which forum you’re in. While both Blake and I misread your tone, nobody swore at you. His post was very civil. Mine, while sarky, was also with a link. Chill.
And to answer your question, I’ve never heard of the practice in other societies that have been alleged to practice anthropophagy, as the jury’s still out on Aztec practices as far as I know.
You aksed a couple of vague quetsions, I politely asked for clarification on whatpreciselythe factual question was and gave perfectly civil and accurate answers to the factual questions you did ask, including suggestions on where you could search for more information.
And because of that you start swearing and tell me I need to calm down? :rolleyes:
Out of line for General Questions, but you knew that.
Your OP wasn’t very clear that you were looking for info OTHER than what you were given by Blake and MrDibble.
samclem GQ moderator
Yeah, because you weren’t “polite” at all in your response, but rather defensive. None of my questions were vague, you simply misinterpreted them, but anyway strike my cursing and insert “chill out man.”
Well, I related the previous thread history on the subject and stated I was now “broadening” my query, which made sense to me, but I shall endeavor to make my intent clearer next time.
Jonathan Swift had something to say on the subject in his “Modest Proposal.”
New Zealand was perhaps in the unique position of having no indigenous land mammals - indeed, no indigenous mammals at all apart from seals and a few bats, which don’t have much meat on them. Maori brought with them rats and dogs, which were a food source, but until Europeans arrived in the late 18th century and introduced pigs and the like, the main sources of protein were birds, fish and shellfish. These were fortunately abundant - although large bird species like the moa were wiped out due to over-hunting and habitat depletion - but for that real meaty taste, people were the only other option. Shockingly inefficient, of course, but I suppose you could say the same of farming any animal to eat.
New Zealand?