Traveling is so much fun, in large part, thanks to the characters you meet on the road. During a recent trip to Fiji, a Russian travel blogger named Olga Bavykina, whom you may also call Zabotkina, encountered one adorably enthusiastic shop employee, whom I’m sure she won’t forget. She aptly captioned her video of him, «Когда очень гордишься наследием предков», or “When you are really proud of your ancestors”…
The charismatic man indeed embodies healthy pride, as he shows off the kinds of tools his ancestors used for cannibalistic purposes — unique souvenirs to bring back to your loved ones. Our informative friend exclaims, “We eat people for the power.” I want to know more about his people’s current practices, as even without having consumed human flesh himself, he still exudes more charisma than your average protein-shake-clutching, yoga-mat-lugging American health nut.
Fijian Shopkeeper Goes Viral for Showing Tourists His Ancestors’ Cannibalism Tools
Our cultural emissary demonstrates the manner in which a brain might be extracted in order to give to a chief so that he might absorb wisdom, lending new meaning to the term brainiac; warriors become tough from partaking of the muscle, he explains. The taste of victory is sweet, isn’t it? He further clarifies that the ritual of cannibalism was upheld for religious reasons, not to satisfy hunger.
Bavykina roughly penned thus on Telegram:
“He explained that the Fijians didn’t exactly sit around waiting for their enemies to float their way. Instead, about 400 warriors would board each drua and set off to fight the Tongans. The Tongans would meet them in similar vessels. Right there in the sea, they would fight.
The distance between Tonga and Fiji is near 1,000 kilometers.”
Needless to say, it is clear that the man of whom we’ve been speaking is very “metal” and could certainly serve as a conceptual and lyrical advisor to a band or two. Naturally, many of our forebears observed traditions that might not be viewed as acceptable within the rigid moral framework of today, so he causes us all to reflect upon our cultural heritage.
The post WATCH: Man Eagerly Shows Tourist Tools Used for Cannibalism: ‘We Eat People for the Power’ appeared first on VICE.
