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Autocannibalism In The Nari Praxi

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In Wari funerals before the 1960s, the role of affinity played also an important part. Conklin (1995,80-82) mentions that the male nari praxi were responsible for making the ritual fire and the roasting rack, for the dismembering the body with a bamboo arrow tip, and for the removal of the internal organs. They wrapped the heart and liver in leaves and roasted them. Body parts such as nails, hair, and genitals were thrown to the fire since they were considered inedible. The head was cut to remove the brain and the legs and arms were cut at the joints and cooked on the roasting pit. The nari praxi were also the ones responsible for eating the corpse. The iri’nari were not allowed to eat the corpse since they had the same blood and it would be considered autocannibalism. …show more content…

The nari praxi did not eat the flesh greedily nor with their hands. They ate slowly, touching the flesh with thin splinters and they were alternating between eating and crying. This behaviour is completely different when compared to exocannibalism where the flesh was eaten greedily and directly off the bone (Conklin 1995, 80-82). The ideal during this mortuary practice was for all the flesh, heart, liver, and brains to be eaten. However, often due to the advanced decomposition of the body (caused by the long wait for all the relatives to arrive and participate) some parts could not be eaten and instead they were cremated (Conklin 1995, 82). The bones were either ground and then eaten in a meal with honey, or they were burned, pulverised, and buried. When the consumption of the body was over, everything

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