Author of:

Shamans and Kushtakas: North Coast Tales of the Supernatural (Alaska Northwest Books 2003). Shamans and Kushtaka's were feared by the Tlingit and Haida because of the supernatural abilities they possessed. Shamans could see into the future, heal the body and spirit and stood to protect their people. In a struggle between good and evil the shamans fought the kushtaka, an evil spirit who was half human half land hotter for the souls of the dying. Becker explores the history behind this legend and the values and traditions of the Tlingit and Haida that underlies it.

Potlatch: Native Ceremony and Myth on the Northwest Coast (Alaska Northwest Books/Raincoast Books, 1993) which is a description of the potlatch ceremony of the Pacific Northwest Coast tribes, including the Tlingit, Haida, and others, that reveals how the community celebrates life, death, and giving thanks through this tradition. Beck uses details from historical potlatches while simultaneously integrating legends about animals and spirits that are of importance to the tribes of the Northwest Coast.

[BCBW 2016] "Anthropology" "First Nations"