About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
The first book-length study of whether cannibalism existed on the Pacific Northwest coast. McDowell shows how a "cannibal complex" among Westerners coloured many early accounts of "man-eating," and how this perception obscured the importance of ritual cannibalism in the secret Hamatsa ceremony—a crucial feature of Native spirituality.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 16
- Grade:
- 11
Awards
- , Aboriginal Books for Canadian Schools
Editorial Reviews
“One of the 100 most important books on British Columbia.” —Alan Twigg
“A controversial yet strangely compelling topic . . . After careful re-evaluation of the historical and anthropological sources, Jim McDowell has concluded that ritual consumption of human flesh and corpse-eating — particularly as Franz Boas reported among the Kwakiutl hamatsa societies — persisted into our era.”—Christon Archer, Professor of History, Calgary
“One of the 100 most important books on British Columbia.” —Alan Twigg
