Carib cannibalism. The historical evidence
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Neil L. WHITEHEAD. Carib cannibalism. The historical evidence. Since the period of discovery the Spaniards made a distinction between the Indians who were cannibals (the Caribs) and those who were not. Given the fact that in 1503 the Spanish Crown had decreed that all cannibals could be made into slaves it is evident that for economic reasons the Spaniards were motivated to include the greatest number in the first category, as a means of increasing the labor supply in the new colonies. Thus certain Spanish sources are undoubtedly unreliable. But this does not mean that cannibalism did not exist in America. From the XVII century on English, French as well as Dutch authors describe scenes of cannibalism among the Caribs and also among other Indian groups in the New World.
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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 Whitehead, 1984
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References 5 · Cited by 63
- Authors
- Whitehead, N. L.
- Corresponding author
- Whitehead, Neil L.
- Venue
- Journal de la Société des Américanistes
- Publisher
- PERSEE Program
- Published
- 1984
- Volume
- 70
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 69-87
- ISSN
- 0037-9174 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2071859377
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- fr
- Open access
- green
- www.persee.fr
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- Journal de la Société des Américanistes (publishedVersion)
- Persée (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Visual Arts and Performing Arts › Latin American history and culture
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Indigenous Cultures and History
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory
- Keywords
- Carib people, Spanish colonial historiography, labor supply, 17th century
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