When one enters into a culture on a daily basis, the absolute shock that it leaves on one's face can be perplexing.
This is the story of two different societies, each with its own set of surprises and shocks.
Endocannibalism
Endocannibalism is a centuries-old ritual that involves eating the flesh of a deceased friend or family member. It is thought that eating the flesh of a loved one is a gesture of respect for the dead, and that eating the loved one will magically impart the wisdom of the deceased.
The natives of Papua, New Guinea, perform this rite, which is considered completely normal. When a loved one passes away, the people who consumed them must adhere to certain guidelines. If a male died, for example, the sister merely had to eat the brother's brain, or if it was her brother-in-law, the hand. This showed her respect for the dead member of the family.
The eating of the dead is thought to help the soul of the deceased transition calmly and pleasantly in another area of the globe, particularly among the Yanam in Southern America.
The dead are first burned, and then their faces and bodies are painted with soot from the burning process. As an expression of their grief, they begin to lament and sing.
The residual bones from the burning process are crushed, ground into powder, and mixed with the ashes in the second stage. They then turn it into a delicacy, banana soup, which is consumed by the entire town.
The Hunt in the Dark
'Night Crawling' is another name for this. Bhutanese in the Eastern Himalayas utilize this type of wooing. This involved a group of single guys or an individual breaking into single girls' rooms to have sex with them.
The purpose of the courtship was to allow the girl to pick her own partner. A male who is interested in a specific girl will 'break' into her room at night and attempt to have sex with her. If she agrees, it will lead to marriage, but if she does not, he will be thrown out of the house by his family.
However, the objective of this wooing custom has been misunderstood, as men are frequently observed pushing themselves on girls, leading to adolescent pregnancies, rape, the spread of sexually transmitted illnesses, and single motherhood.