Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society [Paperback]

Beth A. Conklin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001 | ISBN-10: 0292712367 | ISBN-13: 978-0292712362

Mourning the death of loved ones and recovering from their loss are universal human experiences, yet the grieving process is as different between cultures as it is among individuals. As late as the 1960s, the Wari' Indians of the western Amazonian rainforest ate the roasted flesh of their dead as an expression of compassion for the deceased and for his or her close relatives. By removing and transforming the corpse, which embodied ties between the living and the dead and was a focus of grief for the family of the deceased, Wari' death rites helped the bereaved kin accept their loss and go on with their lives. Drawing on the recollections of Wari' elders who participated in consuming the dead, this book presents one of the richest, most authoritative ethnographic accounts of funerary cannibalism ever recorded. Beth Conklin explores Wari' conceptions of person, body, and spirit, as well as indigenous understandings of memory and emotion, to explain why the Wari' felt that corpses must be destroyed and why they preferred cannibalism over cremation. Her findings challenge many commonly held beliefs about cannibalism and show why, in Wari' terms, it was considered the most honorable and compassionate way of treating the dead.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is probably the most significant ethnography of cannibalism. Period... I expect this book to become a classic, an ethnography of exceptional depth and clarity by an anthropologist whose sensitivity and insight are apparent on every page." -Donald Pollock, Associate Professor of Anthropology, SUNY Buffalo

Review

This is probably the most significant ethnography of cannibalism. Period. . . . I expect this book to become a classic, an ethnography of exceptional depth and clarity by an anthropologist whose sensitivity and insight are apparent on every page. (Donald Pollock, Associate Professor of Anthropology, SUNY Buffalo )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292712367
• ISBN-13: 978-0292712362
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT BOOK FOR RESEARCH OR LEISURE, July 17, 2003

By 

Vanessa (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society (Paperback)

I looked into this book a source for a term paper I was writing on Ritual Cannibalism, but then chose to buy if as my summer reading material. The book is very well written and easy to understand, which make it ideal for professionals, students, and lay-people alike. Coklin does a great job letting the reader into the mind of Wari' peoples; the testemonials are engaging and thought-provoking. I must warn that if you are looking for material that is critical of cannibalism, or argues that it does not exist, this isn't it. "Consuming Grief" makes cannibalism seem rational, and makes you feel sad that these peoples customs and culture were forced away. Coklin is biased in the sense that she is an anthropologist, in that I mean she does not pass any judgement on the peoples she is studying.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a superb discussion of a difficult topic, May 15, 2009

By 

S. Johnston (Bowie, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society (Paperback)

This is an excellent book which thoroughly and sensitively covers a topic that is difficult for someone raised in U.S. culture to talk about. I am an anthropologist so I have the edge in terms of cultural relativism, but I think that anyone interested in the reality of this topic (rather than the sensationalist approach) would find this book compelling. I highly recommend it for personal or course use.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Grand Text and Appropriate for Our Age, December 21, 2001

By 

Albert B. (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society (Paperback)

This book is one of the best, I own on the subject matter. Very well done and extreemely detailed. I bought a second copy and gave it away as a Christmas gift this year, at my company Christmas party. It was a great success. Everyone wanted it. I'm glad Matt got to keep it.

I must say that very few texts on this subject are as well done as Conklin's. I highly recomend it to anyone interested in "Compassionate Cannibalism" through history.