Castro Marble and Myrtle

The collection of essays by Brazilian anthropologist Eduardo Viveiros de Castro (born 1951) "Marble and Myrtle" immerses the reader in the ethnographic, historical, and philosophical context of his project on "cannibal" or indigenous thought. Unlike de Castro's main work—a terminology-rich treatise "Cannibal Metaphysics"—"Marble and Myrtle" clearly addresses questions, the answers to which become concepts of indigenous thought. The titular text of the book is a historical investigation based on the observations of Catholic catechizers from the 16th to 17th centuries. Attempting to convert American Indians to Christianity, they compared their notions of the soul, body, and life after death with the beliefs of other peoples. De Castro analyzes anthropological materials from various years and describes the mindset of the inhabitants of the New World, linking it to post-structuralist ideas.