The Beginnings of Brazilian Anthropology: Jesuits and Tupinamba Cannibalism
Abstract
Jesuit missionaries who lived and worked among the Tupian-speaking Indians of sixteenth-century coastal Brazil have provided valuable information on the customs and practices of these Indians. The contributions to Brazilian ethnography of such Jesuits as Nóbrega, Anchieta, Cardim, Soares, and others is illustrated by translations from their writings, most of which are unavailable in English. In particular, William Arens's thesis that Brazilian Indians really did not practice cannibalism as reported by French and German sources is reexamined. The Jesuit sources strongly support the argument that anthropophagy was an integral part of Tupian cultural practice.
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More recent sources of information for cannibalistic behaviour in South America come from ethnographic evidence as well as direct observations by anthropologists.
“More recent sources of information for cannibalistic behaviour in South America come from ethnographic evidence as well as direct observations by anthropologists (Fausto, 2007;Forsyth, 1983;Whitehead, 1984).”
From The Archaeology of Cannibalism: a Review of the Taphonomic Traits Associated with Survival and Ritualistic Cannibalism (2025) · cites this paper as Forsyth, 1983
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Bello, S. M. (2025) · Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory · doi:10.1007/s10816-024-09676-3 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“More recent sources of information for cannibalistic behaviour in South America come from ethnographic evidence as well as direct observations by anthropologists (Fausto, 2007; Forsyth, 1983; Whitehead, 1984).”
- Authors
- Forsyth, D. W.
- Corresponding author
- Forsyth, Donald W.
- Venue
- Journal of Anthropological Research
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Published
- 1983-07
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 147-178
- ISSN
- 0038-4801 (ISSN-L)
- 0091-7710
- 2153-3806
- OpenAlex
- W2326259793
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 17 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 4.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Anthropological Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Indigenous Cultures and History
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Visual Arts and Performing Arts › Latin American history and culture
- Keywords
- Brazilian anthropology, Jesuit missionaries, Tupinambá, cannibalism, Anchieta, Soares, colonial ethnography, indigenous traditions
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