▁Indian ▁tribes , ▁stay ing ▁among ▁them ▁for ▁a ▁few ▁days . ▁In ▁ 1 9 3 8 , ▁they ▁returned ▁for ▁a ▁second , ▁more ▁than ▁half - year - long ▁expedition ▁to ▁study ▁the ▁N amb ik w ara ▁and ▁T up i - K aw ah ib ▁soci eties . ▁At ▁this ▁time , ▁his ▁wife ▁suffered ▁an ▁eye ▁in fection ▁that ▁prevent ed ▁her ▁from ▁comple ting ▁the ▁study , ▁which ▁he ▁concluded . ▁This ▁experience ▁c ement ed ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ' s ▁professional ▁identity ▁as ▁an ▁anth rop ologist . ▁Edmund ▁Le ach ▁suggests , ▁from ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ' s ▁own ▁accounts ▁in ▁Tr istes ▁Trop iques , ▁that ▁he ▁could ▁not ▁have ▁spent ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁few ▁weeks ▁in ▁any ▁one ▁place ▁and ▁was ▁never ▁able ▁to ▁con verse ▁easily ▁with ▁any ▁of ▁his ▁native ▁inform ants ▁in ▁their ▁native ▁language , ▁which ▁is ▁un character istic ▁of ▁anth rop ological ▁research ▁methods ▁of ▁particip atory ▁interaction ▁with ▁subjects ▁to ▁gain ▁a ▁full ▁understanding ▁of ▁a ▁culture . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s , ▁he ▁suggested ▁why ▁he ▁became ▁veget arian ▁in ▁pieces ▁published ▁in ▁Italian ▁daily ▁newspaper ▁La ▁Repub blica ▁and ▁other ▁publications ▁anth olog ized ▁in ▁the ▁post hum ous ▁book ▁N ous ▁som mes ▁tous ▁des ▁can n ib ales ▁( 2 0 1 3 ): ▁" A ▁day ▁will ▁come ▁when ▁the ▁thought ▁that ▁to ▁feed ▁themselves , ▁men ▁of ▁the