History Main / CapturedByCannibals

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/barbiecannibals.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/barbiecannibals.png "the Image above does not depict cannibalism as they are clearly different species."]]

While cannibalism for ritualistic or cult reasons has indeed been practiced by RealLife tribes, most accounts of the type seen in fiction were likely apocryphal, spread by white men [[{{Demonization}} as an excuse]] for the use of military force as a means of "civilizing" and "pacifying" the "savages". More info is given on Website/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man-Eating_Myth here.]]

* Played with in the second ''Film/CrocodileDundee'' movie in this scene where Mick's Aborigine friends (one of which is called Charlie by Mick) are holding some of the drug lord's men prisoner.

* The 1985 movie of ''Literature/KingSolomonsMines'' has TheHero and TheChick being thrown into an enormous cooking pot. [[spoiler:They escape by swimming back and forth until the pot turns over and they roll away downhill.]]

* One {{Feghoot}} concerns a man named Steve searching for his friend Bob, who went to Africa to market a soda called Fresca. As he travels through Africa, Steve encounters all manner of locals, missionaries, explorers, etc., drinking Fresca with any food they gather or catch. They all learned from Bob that "[whatever they're eating] tastes good with Fresca". Eventually, Steve runs across a CannibalTribe who ate Bob after buying a bunch of Fresca from him. As the leader explains, "Bob tastes good with Fresca." Horrified, Steve inquires about what exactly the cannibals ate from Bob's body: "You mean you ate his eyes? His legs? His heart?" And so on. The leader explains that yes, all those body parts taste good with Fresca too. Finally:

[[folder: Theme Parks]]

[[folder: Radio]]

While cannibalism for ritualistic or cult reasons has indeed been practiced by RealLife tribes, most accounts of the type seen in fiction were likely apocryphal, spread by white men [[{{Demonization}} as an excuse]] for the use of military force as a means of "civilizing" and "pacifying" the "savages". More info is given on Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man-Eating_Myth here.]]

* This was the theme of a merry-go-round in Dutch amusement park ''De Efteling'', in which visitors were seated in "cooking pots" gyrating around the figure of a cannibal chef accompanied by the song "Monsieur Cannibale" by French artist Sacha Distel. After drawing multiple protests over the years due to the racial caricature of the cannibal chef, the ride was completely re-themed in 2021, with the cooking pots becoming merchant ships.

* "Monsieur Cannibale" by French artist Sacha Distel, which also used by a rather controversial merry-go-round in Dutch amusement park ''De Efteling''.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'', Becky's truffle hunting expedition turns sour when they're found by natives who try to cook her ''and'' the pig she brought to sniff the valuable fungus out. The biggest irony is, the natives seem to have plenty of truffles; they use them in the soup that Becky nearly becomes a part of.

* This is the theme of a rather controversial merry-go-round in Dutch amusement park ''De Efteling'', featuring the song ''Monsieur Cannibale'' by French artist Sacha Distel. Despite drawing multiple protests over the years due to the racial caricature [[https://www.efteling.com/en/park/attractions/monsieur-cannibale the ride still exists]].

See also WackyWaysideTribe, CannibalTribe, CannibalClan, HollywoodNatives, or TheCaptivityNarrative. Likely to overlap with BlackComedyCannibalism or CookingTheLiveMeal.

One specific, [[DiscreditedTrope discredited]] version of ImAHumanitarian is the idea that when people from the "civilized world" (like missionaries and explorers) encounter HollywoodNatives, they are in danger of being eaten. The "civilized" characters may initially think that the natives are treating them as respected guests or even gods, and [[FatteningTheVictim feeding them better than they ever have been]]... but then, without fail, [[StewedAlive out come the pots and the chanting]].

See also WackyWaysideTribe, CannibalTribe, CannibalClan, HollywoodNatives, or TheCaptivityNarrative. Likely to overlap with BlackComedyCannibalism and StewedAlive.

* The controversial song "Congo Man" by Trinidadian calypso artist Mighty Sparrow (real name [[AwesomeMcCoolname Slinger Francisco]]) mixes lyrics about this trope with an [[LyricalDissonance incongruously upbeat-sounding tune]].

* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'' had this with a tribe that captured Jack and several of his crew. This example is a good illustration of this trope being discredited. At first, the natives doing this were identified as Caribs, and the few surviving Caribs complained that calling them cannibals is a false accusation against them.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/barbiecannibals.png]]

* In Creator/EvelynWaugh's novel ''Black Mischief'', the black tribesman are cannibals in the fictional East African country in which the novel is set. Ultimately, one group of characters has a plane crash/is slaughtered by them, and one of the protagonists ends up eating them, not realizing what or who he is eating until [[IAteWhat the natives tell him]].

* In ''Literature/ThisImmortal'' the group of protagonists is taken captive by the [[CannibalTribe Kouretes]], a tribe of half-human mutants living near a a Hot Spot in the mountains of Greece. They don't bother with niceties, but pretend their captives could [[WinYourFreedom win their freedom]] through a DuelToTheDeath against the Dead Man, whom the Kouretes worship. [[spoiler:While Hasan fights the Dead Man, the others try to break free, and through a combined effort they manage to both kill the Dead Man and flee.]]

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* In [[http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/2019/11/nothing-he-couldnt-do.html one old horror comic,]] a group of mostly anti-heroic types, except for one guy who's really smart and inventive, crash on an island with a CannibalTribe who promptly confine them, except for the smart guy. The leader says that they'll have plenty of time to come up with an escape plan, since in this tropical climate, the cannibals won't cook more than one of them at a time so they won't spoil. But then later, they drag all three of the others out and start boiling them, since the smart guy had taught them [[spoiler: how to can meat.]]

* Happens a number of times to ComicStrip/LittleNemo and his friends. One time a missionary shows up, trying to convert the natives to vegetarianism.

* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'' had this with a tribe that captured Jack and several of his crew. This example is a good illustration of this trope being discredited. At first, the natives doing this were identified as Caribs, and the few surviving Caribs complained that calling them cannibals is a false accusation against them.
* Creator/BobHope and Creator/BingCrosby are captured by cannibals in ''Film/RoadToZanzibar''. The cannibals think Hope and Crosby are white gods... until, that is, the cannibals decide to test their divinity by having Hope get into a sidesplittingly hilarious wrestling match with a gorilla.
* The 1985 movie of ''Literature/KingSolomonsMines'' has TheHero and TheChick being thrown into an enormous cooking pot. [[spoiler:They escape by swimming back and forth until the pot turns over and they roll away downhill.]]
-->'''Quatermain:''' Jessie... they're having us for dinner.\\
'''Jessie:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Well can't we just beg out, without offending them?]]\\
'''Quatermain:''' They're not having us for dinner, they're having US for dinner!

* Actually used fairly straight in two novels of Literature/TheCulture. In ''Literature/ConsiderPhlebas'', the protagonist is captured by a cult who practice cannibalism. He literally pulls RegretEatingMe on them, as his BloodyMurder powers ensure death to anyone taking a bite of him. Also, in ''Literature/UseOfWeapons'', the protagonist is tortured and sacrificed by natives on a planet he lands on, and is down to LosingYourHead by the time he is rescued, and needs a new body as a result.

* This is one of the biggest fears of Literature/RobinsonCrusoe. He eventually acquires one of the cannibals as a faithful servant he names Friday, but remains convinced that Friday's people will eat him if he ever ventures over there, despite Friday's insistence otherwise. They later rescue a Spaniard and Friday's father from being eaten by another group of cannibals.
* The children's book series ''Literature/KoziolekMatolek'' has most of the fourth book devoted to Matołek captured by a cannibal tribe in Africa. He manages to save himself by winning a riddle contest with the chieftain.
* The children are capture and put into a cooking pot when they visit a South Seas island in ''Literature/BedknobAndBroomstick''
* This is the main theme of several stories by ''Author/FrankRichards'', most notably in Billy Bunter Among The Cannibals and Big Chief Bunter.
* In ''Literature/ThisImmortal'' the group of protagonists is taken captive by the [[CannibalTribe Kouretes]], a tribe of half-human mutants living near a a Hot Spot in the mountains of Greece. They don't bother with niceties, but pretend their captives could [[WinYourFreedom win their freedom]] through a DuelToTheDeath against the Dead Man, whom the Kouretes worship. [[spoiler:While Hasan fights the Dead Man, the others try to break free, and through a combined effort they manage to both kill the Dead Man and flee.]]
* Subverted in ''Literature/TalesOfTheMagicLand''. Charlie Black was presumed dead for years after being captured by a cannibal tribe. When he turns up alive in the second book, Ellie asked whether he managed defeat them in combat. Charlie stated there was no way for him to have fought off thousands of people, but the cannibals turned out to be quite nice guys, and once he showed himself to be more useful alive than cooked, they were all too happy to leave him alive, accepted him into the tribe, and, eventually, helped him return home.

* Captain Redbeard Rum's (offscreen) fate in ''Series/{{Blackadder}} II''.
-->'''Blackadder:''' He was a third-rate captain, but a first-rate second course.

* Series/TheTwoRonnies used this to excuse some pretty dire puns, such as a reverend being eaten giving the tribesmen their "first taste of Christianity", and a gay liberation group who regrettably ended up as fairy cakes.

* Music/{{Voltaire}}'s "Cannibal Buffet" is all about this.

* "Monsieur Cannibale" by French artist Sacha Distel, which also used by a rather controversial merry-go-round in Dutch amusement park ''De Efteling''.

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'' has an isle of wild boars who worship Benjamina Gunn (Miss Piggy) as a god, and attempt to cook the heroes. Naturally, the Swedish Chef is on the island as their chef ([[PaperThinDisguise with a fake pig nose slapped on]]). Definitely played for laughs.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/JungleHunt'' combines this trope with SaveThePrincess.
* In ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry3PassionatePattiInPursuitOfThePulsatingPectorals'', there's a part where Larry runs off into a jungle and the player assumes control of his girlfriend, at which point she has to find him, and help him escape from ''lesbian'' cannibals.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' has this be the setup for the winter section.
* ''Videogame/DeadByDaylight'' has this for the backstory of the Hag, a young woman who was captured and slowly cannibalized alive until she escaped via RoaringRampageOfRevenge. Then she was brought to the Entity's realm, and became a fully-fledged SerialKiller.

* Creator/VanBeurenStudios used this in several of their cartoons:
** Waffles the Cat and Don the Dog wind up in this situation in "Jungle Jazz".
** The Little King gets captured by a tribe of them in "On The Pan"; he's even served with Happy Birthday topping written in him!
** Tom and Jerry also suffer this fate in "Jungle Jam". They win them over with their music, at least until they try to run away.
** Robinson Cruesoe suffers this fate in "Molly Moo Cow and Robinson Cruesoe", but Molly manages to save him.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': It's implied that this happened to Bumi. While walking around the fog with his siblings, he started having flashbacks of this event. Even though his siblings believed that his stories were fabricated, it's pretty clear that this one really did happen.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rupert}}'' had a strange example of this in "Rupert and the Crocodiles" where Rupert Bear, his friend Podgy Pig, and a captain and first mate who were both human were captured by a tribe of bipedal crocodiles who attempted to eat them.
* The ''WesternAnimation/DrZitbagsTransylvaniaPetShop'' episode "Bungle in the Jungle" has Dr. Zitbag, Horrifido, and Zombunny get captured by a cannibalistic tribe.

* The first time you meet recurring character Clara Lost in ''VideoGame/YookaLaylee'', she's in such a plight. In the world Tribalstack Tropics, she's being held inside a large pot (also sentient, his name is [[PunnyName Potty Mouth]]), and she asks you to dispatch the "natives". The "natives" in this question are [[{{Mooks}} monsters]], which helps avoid the UnfortunateImplications the trope often carries. Amusingly, Clara Lost is ''[[DemBones a sentient skeleton]]'', so it begs the question of just ''what'' part of her they want to eat.