Yanmamo Culture
There are many differences between the
South American Yanomamo culture and the
North American culture that we have
adapted to, but just at there is culture
diversity between us, we have some
similarities. The ethnography, which is
chose, was "Yanomamo" written by
Napoleon A. Chagnon, anthropologists.
Chagnon tells us how to it was to
live among the Yanomamo family, political and
warfare system versus the
American Culture. The Yanomamo are of patrilineal
culture, male oriented and
very sexist. For some reason they believe that, they
are superior to women,
so do some men in American culture. However, they are
jolted back reality
when the law gets involved, unfortunately Yanomamo men
don’t have this wake
up call. Marriage is cross-cultural perspective. Yanomamo
marriages are much
different from that of American marriages. Yanomamo women are
treated as
materialistic objects and promised by their father or brother to
a
Yanomamo man in return for reciprocity. The reciprocity could be
another
Yanomamo women or political alliances. The trades are often
practiced in the
Yanomamo culture. Polygamy is also a part of the
Yanomamo culture. Yanomamo
women are kept in the male’s possession. The
Yanomamo man tries to collect as
many wives as he possibly can in order to
demonstrate his power and masculinity.
As polygamy in American Culture is
referred to as bigamy which is against the
law. Besides, polygamy, the
practice of infanticide plays a role in the lack of
women in their society.
Yanomamo prefer to parent a male child rather than a
female child, so in case
a female is born she is killed at birth. This again
proved their sexist
beliefs that women are inferior. Many Yanomamo women fearing
their husbands
kill a female infant to avoid disappointing their so-called"better half". To the
people of American culture certain procedures of
murdering a new born baby
would be considered brutal, horrific and mutilation.
But to the Yanomamo
choking an infant to death with a vine, suffocating the
infant by the placing
a stick across her throat, or simply throwing the child
against a tree and
leaving it to suffer and then die is normal. Yet some
Americans would
also suggest that abortion is just like murder also, so what’s
the
difference! When an acceptable child is born into a Yanomamo family
the
mother breast-feeds him for a relatively long time. Children are nursed
until
they reach the age of at most, three or four. As long as the mother
breast-feeds
she is less likely to be fertile. This is a natural
contraceptive. But if a new
infant is born it will starve to death, because
the older sibling would drink
most of the milk, specially if it is a female
infant. Male children grow up to
be hunters and worriers. Female children
although inferior (according to the
Yanomamo) are valuable objects of
trade and political alliances. A confusing
aspect of the Yanomamo marriages
is, even though polygamy is freely practiced so
is monogamy but only for the
women. Adultery, just like in American culture, is
inexcusable to the
Yanomamo. In this topic similarities make a breakthrough in
both cultures. If
relationship between an American woman and an American man
goes putrescent
and the woman becomes promiscuous violence is only expected by
the man. The
problem is assault and battery charges can get you into a lot of
trouble, not
to mention how much you would have to pay a lawyer. But Yanomamo
mean get
away with their violent retaliation for being disrespected because
again
there are no laws protecting Yanomamo women not that American women
are
always protected by the law, it’s just a myth. The punishment for the
Yanomamo
women who is only suspected of having an affair with another man is
being beaten
with a club, burned, shot with a barbed arrow, or the man
decides to detach a
limb (ex. Arm, leg...) with an ax or machete. Even though
it seems as though
women are expendable is this culture she may have some one
who would aid her if
she needed help, her brothers. A Yanomamo women’s
endeavor and search for aid
is not always successful espically if her
brothers are in a remote village that
you could reach if you walked for a
couple of days. But if her brothers are
around and close enough for some
strange reason she might get a little more
respect (not too much). Alliances
or formal pacts between groups are
incorporated through trade and feasting.
The relationships between these two
parties are strengthened when the
exchange of women takes place. A political
alliance begins with an agreement
to trade. Women for the Yanomamo are like how
money is for Americans. They
need it for political game. But payment isn’t
usually made at the same time.
Members of one village will go to another and
trade goods. The members of
second village will have to reciprocate with other
type of items some time
later. With this constant trade at hand one village is
always in debt to
another. But this also is a good excuse for visiting the other
village, and
as long they keep in touch they have a tight bond between them.
Another
method of forming political alliances is feasting. Feasting is when
one
village invites village for a feast or dinner. During the feast there is
a lot
social activity. The Yanomamo dance and mingle with each other along
with eating
a different variety of foods. The only catch is the other village
must
reciprocate a feast by one village. This feast is more like an American
dinner
party in which members of family or social group invite others to
attend. A
feast however can be dangerous and or fatal for those who attend.
The Yanomamo
can be very conniving and deceiving. They pretend to be loyal
friends and invite
the other village for a feast. The other very village very
trustfully attends
the feast not knowing that this might be their last meal.
After the feast when
the guests are helplessly resting in their hammocks they
are attacked and
brutally beaten to death. Yanomamo feasts can be dangerous,
unlike American
dinner parties, which are not violent other than an
occasional mishap. But
nothing likes the Yanomamo who plots a conspiracy to
attack the guests. The
Yanomamo warfare is commonly motivated by revenge.
Because the lack of women
many villagers raid on another village abducting as
many women’s they possibly
can. While abducting women they try and kill as
many enemies as they can. When
the village that was victimized has had some
atonement and are prepared they
seek out for revenge on the village that
attacked them, sometimes procuring the
women who were initially from their
village. American warfare maybe a little
more involved then the Yanomamo. Our
quarrels are not over women, unless it is
domestic, but our political
reasons. And Americans don’t limit themselves,
just to satisfy their need for
a war they go international. And with all of the
technology these day can do
a lot more than villages. Americans also have
alliances other countries.
These alliances are for backup, just in case a
country decides that
imperialism is the key to a strong nation, the other
countries who signed the
treaty back them up. But warfare for any society in my
opinion is barbaric
and deplorable. The differences and similarities between the
Yanomamo
culture and American culture maybe vast, but all humans have an
adoption to
their culture. If an aspect of the Yanomamo culture is different
from
American culture it’s discriminated against because it is not
understood.
Keeping an open mind while I was reading the book was
difficult because I was
shocked by some of the ways they conducted
themselves. But I realized that
American don’t really conduct themselves
in an orderly fashion at all time
either. The Yanomamo make use of the little
technology they have,, we on the
other hand take advantage of the mass of
technology that we have. The
similarities between the Yanomamo and Americans
was crystal clear, I could
imagine Americans without technology living like
the Yanomamo the only
difference would be Americans would not be handle
themselves under
theses
circumstances.