ABSTRACT
Some anthropologists (e.g., Arens, 1979; Salmon, 1995) have questioned the evidence indicating that widespread cannibalism has been practiced in many human societies, arguing that such support is based on only hearsay and biased evidence. Salmon (1995) expressed doubts that cannibalism ever was a culturally sanctioned practice in any society, and believes that accusations of cannibalism have always been loaded with political motives to discredit and dehumanize members of other societies. She mentioned the Andes plane crash incident (described in Chapter 4), but dismissed it with the comment that it was based on journalistic reports. Why journalistic reports should never be accepted as veridical was not explained. Could it be because such reports invade anthropological territory—a territory that should be entered only by those who have had anthropological hands laid on?
