Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the views presented in two works and then presents the personal opinions of the writer of this paper as to which work seems the most logical. The two books are Napoleon Chagnon's classic "Yanomamo: The Fierce People", which describes the culture of the Yanomamo and the conflict and the aggression that Chagnon states were common behaviors of the Yanomamo people. The other work is "Darkness in El Dorado" by author Patric Tierney and it argues that Chagnon's portrayal of the Yanomamo is completely erroneous and - worse - fabricated by Chagnon himself.
Abstract This paper analyzes the narrative and storyline of the shaman that Mark Ritchie interviews in "Spirit of the Rainforest: Yanomamo Shaman's Story", in order to identify the deeper truths about Yanomamo life within the jungles of Venezuela. The paper shows how Ritchie creates an insightful, yet biased version of life within this tribe. The paper explains that by interviewing the Jungleman, Ritchie has chosen to interview the brainchild of the Yanomamo tribe's mythos and law, making a very difficult case for empirically learning the truth about Yanomamo culture.
From the Paper "The main thesis that is put forth by author Mark Ritchie in this narrative study of the "Jungleman"--a shaman of the Yanomamo tribe--is the digression from the ideal of the "Noble Savage." In many ways, Ritchie acts as the interpreter for Jungleman to dictate his own experiences with spirits that govern the destiny of his tribe. In many ways, the idea of the noble savage has been a western stereotype about tribal natives that are devoid of "western" cruelties, violence, or greed. At the beginning of the tale, it is Jungleman that tells of his belief in Charming Spirit--a mysterious spirit woman that tells him who and what he is: "You are so brave," Charming Spirit told me in her soft voice. She is the most beautiful woman I have known in the spirit world". Although this appears to satisfy the western stereotypes of the beauty of the spirit world--via the Noble Savage--Jungleman is revealing a small part of the beauty within his culture. In fact, the harsh reality of death and violence is the greater part of what Ritchie hears from the old shaman, as he does not hold back the harsh reality of life in the tribe."
Abstract This paper discusses the Yanomamo Indians, one of the most ancient living tribes on the earth. The paper contends that the Yanomamo are a primitive people renowned for the success of their ecological interaction with the environment and their understanding of the delicate balance between man and nature. The paper examines various aspects of their culture and beliefs.
Outline
Introduction
The Religious Foundations of the Yanomamo Culture
Cosmology
Kinship, Politics and Marriage
From the Paper "The Yanomami are an indigenous tribe also called Yanomamo, Yanomam, and Sanuma who live in the tropical rain forest of Southern Venezuela and Northern Brazil. The society is composed of four subdivisions of Indians. (Yanomami Indians) Each subdivision has its own language. "They include the Sanema which live in the Northern Sector, the Ninam which live in the southeastern sector, the Yanomam which live in the southeastern part and the Yanomamo which live in the southwestern part of Yanomami area." (ibid) "
An introduction to the South American Indian tribe, the Yanomamo and and an exploration into their customs, including their system of cross-cultural marriage.
Abstract A paper which examines the Yanomami people - a remote tribe in the Tropical Forest on the border between Venezuela and Brazil. The paper shows their customs and culture and focuses on their system of cross-cultural marriage which follows a bilateral cross-cousin marriage system. The paper also discusses Napoleon A. Chagnon, a young American ethnographer who brought the knowledge of Yanomamo ethnography to the world.
From the Paper "The practice of infanticide is practiced in their culture. This is one of the reasons why there are more males than women. If a female is born she is killed at birth. They feel that women are inferior. Some Yanomamo women kill their infant because they fear the wrath of their husbands for having a female baby. The Yanomano may choke the baby with a vine, suffocating the infant by placing a stick across her nose, or slamming her against a tree. "
A comparative analysis of the marriage patterns among the Yanomamo of South America, the San people of the Kalahari, the Sherpas of Nepal and the residents of the sidewalks of New York City.
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the marriage patterns and ceremonies among four very different societies ? the Yanomamo of South America, the San people of the Kalahari, the Sherpas of Nepal and the residents of the sidewalks of New York City. It examines the traditions of each society in turn from how the strictures prohibit marriage among parallel cousins because Yanomami descent is traced patrilineally to polygamy amongst the Sherpas. It show how in an age where globalization is suspect, the similarity in rules governing who to marry, the role of women in the rituals of dating and marriage and the "ownership" of women by their husband's family all show how few concepts in the world remain as truly global as patriarchy.
From the Paper "Like the Yanomamos, the Sherpas of Nepal have exogamic restrictions governing marriage. Ethnographer Sherry Ortner identifies 18 distinct clans among the Sherpas. Clan identity is inherited from the father and there are strict rules against marrying within the same clan. Unlike the small communal society of the Yanomamo, the Sherpas are divided into different castes. Traditional marriages arranged by parents are still the norm. However, Sherpa life moved away from agriculture as "most Himalayan expeditions throughout the twentieth century have relied on people called Sherpas for general portering, skilled high-altitude portering, and all-around expedition support" (Ortner). The consent of marriage partners became more important and there are also increasing instances of Sherpas marrying Nepalis from outside the Sherpa community."
Abstract This paper examines the debate between the book "The Yanomamo", by Napolean Chagnon, and "Darkness in El Dorado", by Patrick Tierney. The author analyzes why Chagnon and Tierney differ so radically, and presents her own views and opinions on the case.
Abstract The first part of the paper is an overview of the role of women in Bedouin society. The next part examines how the same gendered divisions can be discerned in societies as diverse as the Yanomamo Indians of northern Brazil and the Berbers of Morocco. In the third part, the paper looks at how the effects of economic development and the forces of modernity reach even into the nomadic tribes of the desert and the rainforests. It examines how these changes have affected the communal relations among the groups and if modernity had effects on their existing gender ideals, and how these ethnic groups have responded.
From the Paper "Unlike Western society, the Bedouins do not place a great emphasis on the individual. In fact, blood ties serve to link people to the past and "bind them in the present" (41). Members of the Bedouins could trace their lineage back to genealogy, and these blood ties form an important part of their identity. In traditional Bedouin society, outsiders perceive thus people of the same kin interchangeably, and the way one kin member acts or is treated reflects on the entire group.
The foundation of honor in Bedouin society is based on the concept of asl. It is interesting to note that asl is closely linked with a person's genealogy as well. As with the ancient Chinese, who regarded non-Chinese visitors as ?barbarians,? the Bedouins of the Awlad ?Ali thus use asl to delineate between people who are of Bedouin and non-Bedouin descent."
Abstract The first part of the paper compares the marriage practices among the Yanomamo Indians in northern Brazil, the Sherpa people of the Himalayas and the !Kung Sen people of the Kalahari desert. These ethnographic examples were selected because of their geographic and racial diversity.
The second part of the paper examines the gender relations and division of labor within the household, and how such traditional gender structures in the home are being affected by the growing number of women who work outside the home, both by choice and by economic need. The last part of the paper examines women's participation in the economic sphere outside the home. Since traditional economic measures generally ignore women's work in the "informal" economy, this section gives special focus on women whose economic participation is often overlooked, such as the maquiladoras of Mexico and the small vendors and business owners in Jamaica. In the conclusion, the paper teases out how -- despite outward changes such as suffrage and growing educational opportunities for women -- patriarchal norms remain deeply embedded in the social and economic structures all over the world.
From the Paper "In the United States, most women are free to pick to pick their choice of mates and to enter into marriage agreements. The prevailing view in many developed and Westernized country is to see marriage as a partnership. In many societies around the world, however, marriage is more than a union of two people. Most women do not have a choice regarding their mates. For example, the Yanomamo Indians of northern Brazil use marriage arrangements to forge alliances and to maintain peace within the villages. Most women are expected to marry at a young age, via previous arrangements. Among the Yanomami, only men are allowed to have more than one spouse. A man who successfully obtains several wives ensures that his grandsons will have a wide pool of cross-cousins from which to find a wife (Chagnon, 1997).
Like the Yanomamos, the Sherpas of Nepal have exogamic restrictions governing marriage. Traditional marriages arranged by parents are still the norm. The consent of marriage partners became more important and there are also increasing instances of Sherpas marrying Nepalis from outside the Sherpa community."
Tags: suffrage, Yanomamo, Sherpa, !Kung, Sen, Kalahari, Himalayas, Brazil, gender
Abstract This paper discusses how Napoleon Chagnon has become the center of a heated debate surrounding his treatment of a tribal group he and a colleague studied for a number of years. The paper reviews four articles exploring the controversy but fails to find persuasive testimony which shows that Chagnon did harm to the Yanomamo tribe of Brazil, or that he and his colleague engaged in unethical behavior. The paper asserts that the unethical behavior of the review board which sought to ostracize Chagnon suggests that political motivations and not a genuine concern for the standing of the anthropological community is really at the heart of the furor.
From the Paper "To begin with, Michael D'Antoni writes that Chagnon's work apparently revealed that those men who were the most violent among the Yanomamo people he studied in the 1960s were also the most likely to have many wives and many children - indeed, the most children. Thus, Yanomamo society - again, as determined by Chagnon - was a society characterized by lawlessness and where cruelty prevailed. Unfortunately, Chagnon's depiction of the Yanomamo brought him into conflict with powerful Roman Catholic missionaries and rival academics who felt that Chagnon's portrayal of the most "primitive" people on earth - and his assertion that the violence found in Yanomamo society was somehow characteristic of the true nature of man - were highly misleading. In effect, Chagnon argued - and continues to argue - that it is not modern society which creates war and strife but human nature; moreover, warfare drives the creation of modern societies (D'Antonio 2000:para.2-8)."
Abstract The author of the paper discusses the tribal living patterns and social organization in small tribal communities based on two geographically separated populations. The writer contends that this behavior of groups at times is similar while others are dissimilar whether they are nearby groups or in faraway lands. With this in mind, the author of the paper examines two groups: the Tiv of Africa and the Yanomamo of Brazil. The writer contends that there are certain kinship patterns that favor the segmentary lineage society while the cultures also may support the segmentary opposition. The writer continues and states that descent structures in these two groups are very much dependent on the social structure and the patrilineal descent construct. These are discussed in the paper by comparing the two groups. The paper is accompanied by two charts.
Outline:
Introduction
Discussion
Tiv social organization
Yanomamo Conclusion
References
From the Paper "This is the Tiv's patrilineage. It is the Tiv's way to define the father's path and to follow it. A man can have five patrilineage that including: (1) his mother's ityo, whom he calls his igba, or rarely igba ngo; (2) his father's mother's ityo, his igba ter; (3) his father's father's mother's ityo, his igba ter u tamen; (4) his mother's mother's ityo, his igba ngo u tamen, and the ityo of his mother's secondary marriage guardian, his igba tien." (Bohannan et al 1958) In this context the man may have fixed ityo with varying igba. But it is the duty of the igba to protect him from agnates injustice and be the intermediary. This social construct is particularly important in large tribes or when it expands beyond the territories of Tivland."
Abstract The paper begins by making a distinction between the terms "sex" and "gender" by asserting that the term "gender" has to do with the social and cultural characteristics associated with a particular gender, rather than the biological definition associated with the term "sex". Using this distinction, the paper then goes on to examine how gender roles came about and to what extent they influence our identity.
From the Paper "Indeed, the question of the way in which gender contributes to the formation of one's identity is one that remains exceptionally difficult to solve from any particular perspective, as indeed, the two are so uniquely intertwined, or so it would seem, that it is exceptionally hard to say how and where the differ without employ a stringent and complex series of definitions surrounding the two words. As we must first realize in consider the sorts of terms that will be employed, gender must not be confused, equated to, conflated with, or be taken as a synonym for sex."
Abstract Discusses the theoretical perspective and the approach of anthropologist Chagnon to his study of the Bisasi-teri tribe. Also examines his concept of the evolution of culture based on individual biological adaption within the group.
From the Paper "In "Yanomamo: The Fierce People," Napoleon Chagnon placed his research of this Amazon rain forest tribe squarely within the ?group' versus individual' debate in the study of adaptation in..."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that throughout the world there are different cultural norms, or otherwise stated, there are different activities that are either accepted or shunned within different cultural groups. The writer points out that this is especially true of sexual relations within a culture. Different marriage systems exist within different sectors of society and within different cultures throughout the world. The writer researches and relates the different methods used in various societies in order to regulate sexual relations among members of that cultural group. This paper includes color diagrams.
Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Basic Regulations of 'Exogamy' and 'Endogamy' in Cultures/Societies
Yanomamo Culture
Sexual Relations among Young People in Developing Countries
Kinship & Anthropology
Summary & Conclusion
From the Paper "All societies have rules related to certain incest taboos, or rules of 'exogamy'. This states a specific range or category of relatives that may not be considered for marriage or sexual partners by those within the society. Rules of 'endogamy' within a culture or society relates to marriage restriction not only among kin who are closely related but also rules that specifically channel individuals towards marriage within certain groups. The following diagram illustrates three specific ranges of relationships which are those of ..."
