Deep in the Amazon forest, Yanomami tribe or also known as Yanomamö are one of the largest isolated indigenous tribe there. There are approximately around 30,000 of them living in the rainforests and mountains around northern Brazil and southern Venezuela. (International Survival) The members of this tribe practice a traditional lifestyle including their cultural practices. One interesting activity that they still carry out is the ritual of endocannibalism in the form of ash eating. This activity is believed to be related with their religious view on how important the after death salvation. The objective of this paper is to show the function of this ritual in this society and give a brief explanation on the practice of endocannibalism in Yanomami tribe. Cannibalism is the act of eating the flesh of humans. There are two major types of cannibalism, endocannibalism and exocannibalism.…show more content… On the same time, this practice is also believed to help the dead to realize that they can no longer go back among the living people. Sometimes, as a finality of death and to help the family member adapt to a new life after losing their loved one, the dead person’s house and belongings are burned down. In “Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society” also by Beth A. Conklin, gives example on how this practice relate to the tribe belief of living in world made of humans, animals and spirits. During the human lifetime, they hunt and become the predators of the animals, in other word, being able to harm them. The animals provide the humans with nutrients. When the member of the tribe died, it is their turn to become the prey as they are consumed by their family and nourish them. (A.
