8 Documented or Historically Reported Cases of Cannibalism

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Cannibalism

Cannibalism is the act of one individual consuming all or part of another individual of the same species. In humans, it refers to the consumption of human flesh by another human being.

Throughout history, cannibalism has occurred under a variety of circumstances. In some cases, it was driven by extreme starvation and survival. In others, it formed part of religious or funerary traditions, while a few cases involved criminal acts or severe psychological disorders.

Today, cannibalism is considered one of the strongest social taboos worldwide and is illegal in many countries. Nevertheless, historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists have documented or investigated several notable cases.

1. The Donner Party (1846–1847)

One of the best-known examples of survival cannibalism occurred during the westward migration of American settlers.

The Donner Party, a group of pioneers traveling to California, became trapped by heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the winter of 1846–1847. Their food supplies were quickly exhausted, leaving many to die from starvation and exposure.

Some survivors resorted to eating the bodies of those who had already died in order to stay alive until rescue teams arrived. The tragedy claimed nearly half of the original group and remains one of the darkest survival stories in American history.

2. The Siege of Leningrad (1941–1944)

During the Second World War, Nazi Germany surrounded the Soviet city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) for nearly 900 days.

The blockade created catastrophic food shortages, causing widespread starvation that killed hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Historical records show that isolated cases of cannibalism occurred during the worst periods of the siege. Soviet authorities even established special police units to investigate and prevent such incidents. These cases reflected the extreme desperation caused by famine rather than accepted social behavior.

3. Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 (1972)

In October 1972, a Uruguayan Air Force aircraft carrying a rugby team crashed high in the Andes Mountains.

The survivors endured freezing temperatures, avalanches, and weeks without rescue. After exhausting their limited food supplies, they made the painful decision to eat the bodies of passengers who had died in the crash.

The survivors later explained that this decision was made only to preserve life. Their remarkable story inspired the book Alive and later several film adaptations.

4. The Aztec civilization

The question of cannibalism among the Aztecs remains a subject of scholarly debate.

It is well established that the Aztecs practiced human sacrifice as part of their religious traditions. Some historical accounts written after the Spanish conquest describe ritual consumption of small portions of sacrificed victims by certain participants.

However, historians continue to debate how widespread this practice actually was. Some argue that Spanish chroniclers exaggerated these accounts to portray the Aztecs as barbaric and to justify conquest.

5. The Māori people

Historical evidence shows that cannibalism occurred among some Māori groups before European colonization, particularly during periods of intertribal warfare.

Rather than being practiced for food, it was generally connected to warfare, revenge, humiliation of defeated enemies, and beliefs concerning spiritual power (mana).

The practice declined rapidly during the nineteenth century following social change, missionary influence, and the establishment of colonial government.

6. The Fore people

The Fore people of Papua New Guinea practiced ritual mortuary cannibalism until the mid-twentieth century.

Instead of burying deceased relatives, some communities consumed parts of the body as an act of mourning, respect, and remembrance.

Scientists later discovered that this tradition spread a fatal brain disease known as Kuru, which is caused by infectious prions. The study of Kuru greatly advanced medical understanding of prion diseases, and the practice was eventually abandoned.

7. The Fiji Islands

Early European explorers referred to Fiji as the "Cannibal Isles" because of reports of ritual cannibalism.

Historical evidence indicates that some Fijian communities practiced cannibalism in connection with warfare, chiefly authority, and ritual traditions rather than as a regular source of food.

Following the arrival of Christian missionaries and British colonial administration in the nineteenth century, the practice gradually disappeared.

8. The Zimba of the Zambezi Region

Several sixteenth-century Portuguese accounts described a group known as the Zimba as practicing cannibalism during military campaigns in parts of southeastern Africa.

However, modern historians remain cautious about these reports. Much of the evidence comes from European travelers whose writings sometimes mixed observation with rumor or exaggeration.

As a result, while the Zimba are frequently mentioned in historical literature, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that cannibalism was a widespread or defining feature of their society.

Cannibalism has appeared in human history under very different circumstances, ranging from desperate attempts to survive starvation to ritual and funerary customs practiced by certain societies. At the same time, some historical claims remain controversial because they rely on limited or biased sources.

Understanding these cases requires careful examination of historical evidence rather than sensationalism. They remind us of how extreme environmental conditions, cultural beliefs, and historical circumstances can shape human behavior in extraordinary ways.

True stories of people who survived extremely dangerous situations.