Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society

by Beth A. Conklin

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.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Ethnography, Death, School, History, Indigenous

368 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

About the author

Professor Conklin is a cultural and medical anthropologist specializing in the ethnography of indigenous peoples of lowland South America (Amazonia). Her research focuses on the anthropology of the body, religion and ritual, health and healing, death and mourning, the politics of indigenous rights, and ecology, environmentalism, and cultural and religious responses to climate change. She teaches courses on anthropological theory, medicine and healing, indigenous peoples, and environmental issues. Her publications include Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society, "Body Paint, Feathers, and VCRs: Aesthetics and Authenticity in Amazonian Activism," "The Shifting Middle Ground: Brazilian Indians and Eco-Politics" (with Laura Graham), "Ski Masks, Nose Rings, Veils and Feathers: Body Arts on the Front Lines of Identity Politics," and "Environmentalism, Global Community, and the New Indigenism."

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The savagery is colonialism, not cannibalism.

[Natasha Ovies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few things:

I disliked Conklin going in depth into Wari’ procreation beliefs and directly comparing them to Western science and describing Western science as Western beliefs. While yes, our ideas of science often become our beliefs, we also have other beliefs that are not directly tied to science. I have been meditating on whether it is more ethnocentric to make this critique than it is for Conklin to have made this comparison, as this critique establishes that science is true and should not be considered as belief but… even if our science is erroneous, considering that this book is written for a Western audience, simply using the term science creates a form of hierarchy, as even if we don’t consider certain scientific facts as true, we associate the word science with positivistic truths. In contrasting Wari’ beliefs with scientific “beliefs” as Conklin put it, audiences can easily translate this comparison to “beliefs vs. facts.” This, I think, establishes a certain sense of superiority for Westerners when thinking of Wari’ beliefs.

Conklin at some point halfway through the book mentions how she could never consider anthropofagy and puts it in very sentimental terms (or perhaps this feeling felt more raw for me since I was listening to the audiobook). Again, I think this puts an ethnocentric view on the narration as this makes the audience empathize with her and consequently pits them against Wari’ beliefs and ideas surrounding their funerary rituals. As an anthropologist, especially one dealing with such a taboo topic, Conklin should have been more aware of her wording and how it might impact readers’ ideas about the Wari’.

While I understand this book is not about the effects contact had in the Wari’ people, at least not fully, I feel that Conklin glossed over the effects of colonization. She could have certainly have gone more in depth about them. In the latter half of the book she often speaks about how certain traditions and rituals have been left behind but hardly goes into the effects of it. Narrating more about the feelings her Wari’ participants had regarding the decrease of Wari’ traditions could have been quite powerful, including when speaking about the difference in funerary rituals.

Finally, Conklin speaks about an experience that makes her question her beliefs right before she ended her fieldwork. The author mentions how other scientists even discouraged her from talking about it as it would discredit her objectivity… Perhaps it is because she is from a generation preceding mine but this idea of positivism has been accepted in anthropology as impossible - there is no objectivity in qualitative research. Furthermore, she could have easily found possible explanations for this - she seems to explore a few alternatives but doesn’t even mention the one that immediately jumped right at me: a large group of Wari’ singing a song that often results in a herd of white-lipped peccaries coming could easily be due to the song being a sound that in some way is reassuring to the peccaries and calls out to them? In the same way that we call out to dogs or cats? Considering that the Wari’ have lived in the area for centuries, I don’t see why it would have been so unlikely for them to have found out a way to call the peccaries.

[Sean Mccarrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over all this book was clearly written. I'm not big on anthropology, nor am I big on cannibalism, but I think this book did a fairly good job of providing an understanding on why the Wari used to practice endocannibalism.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a class on Dying and Death. This book does a great job of exploring a culture that processes death and loss in a dramatically different way from western societies. Conklin gives the whole cultural psyche surrounding death (and hunting and meat-eating) a very thorough looking-over, which adds a lot of depth to their cultural practices of cannibalism, although sometimes I found it a bit long-winded. I also really liked hearing about the individuals of the Wari' culture. Really good read overall if you're interested in cannibalism or Amazonian native societies!

[Nidhi Saakshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consuming Grief forces everyone to step out of their ethnocentric beliefs and confront one of the universal taboos: cannibalism. It makes you forget everything you think you know about cannibalism in order to understand why some societies practiced it as a way of showing grief and respect for their dead. To the Wari’, burying their dead in cold, hard ground is just as horrifying as consumption of the dead is to us.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

very interesting but hard to get through

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this for a course on death and dying, I am left thinking about how critical anthropology is in understanding some of the most taboo subjects such as cannibalism. As the title says, "Compassionate Cannibalism" turns the entire concept from a Westerner's point of view on its head. The book reveals how the Wari' community historically mourned in this way out of love, respect and it being a cathartic ritual. The writing itself allows the reader to understand more deeply the emotions felt among the Wari' in grief and mourning. I ended this book reflecting heavily on how the West is quick to judge behaviors and traditions, such as cannibalism, without understanding the cultural context and meaning tied to it.

[kaelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving and thought-provoking read. I think it's a testament to Conklin's sensitivity as an anthropologist that, by the end of this book, not only does the funeral cannibalism practiced by the Wari' lose its shock value, but it's not even the most interesting thing about Wari' culture. Highly recommended.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

HI I LOVED THIS.
IT WAS SO INSIGHTFUL AS TO HOW WE PERCIEVE OTHER SOCIETIES AND THEIR CULTURAL PRACTICES. WE PUSH OUR CULTURAL TABOOS ONTO OTHER CULTURES AND ITS SAD. IT STRIPS PEOPLE OF THEIR OWN CULTURES AND VALUES.
I really really loved this though. I can't recommend highly enough.

[Lyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, I craved wanting to understand the Wari' and their practices more than I was able to for the Pirahã. I still have questions but I felt the beauty in the weight of the importance of cannibalism to the Wari' people.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should just post my theory analysis of this paper here, but I won't. Suffice it say I learned A LOT about cannibalism and it was interesting.

[Jessica Harn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bible of all anthropological ethnographies, and for anyone interested in the academic study of cannibalism among the Wari tribe of the Amazon

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read , definitely not for everyone. But a cool anthropological view on cannibalism.

[em · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for my cultural anthropology class!

[Rae Rudd]

once again a book for my anthro class, was incredibly interesting and I love learning!

[Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

profound and so interesting. I am always looking for new perspectives on cannibalism and this challenges just about everything I have discovered so far.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

nothing draws you to a book quite like cannibalism. and while i think that conklin exploited the rarity and awe of cannibalism, I did think it was an engaging book.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating, though very difficult to read at times.

[Mollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Conklin is an amazing anthropologist and I loved her classes at Vanderbilt. Highly recommend this book.... it's a great study, she has such perspective and insight.

[Jackelyn Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So intriguing! Read it for class and really ended up liking it despite the repulsing topic!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely fascinating and heart wrenching. Don't let the content turn you away.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only book I ever liked from my courses in Cultural Anthropology. I regrettably loaned this book out and never got it back. One day I will probably purchase it again to read once more.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but a bit longwinded and wordy.

[Evan Tudor Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating examination of a group of people who see death in a very different way and exposes how treatments of the dead that are anathema to Western society can be beautiful and important.