This is a look into the lives of the Yanomamo Indians of Brazil and Venezuela. Included is information on their basic survival techniques, politics as it pertains to each village, roles of men and women, marriage and family and also warring with other villages. There is also mentioning of how the government treated the Yanomamo decades ago some of the history of the Yanomamo Indians. Their culture is a unique one, even though I don't necessarily agree with some of their ways, I did keep an open mind and came to have a better understanding of their culture. The Yanomamo is a very interesting group to learn and study about I found them to be very interesting. I chose the topic of the Yanomamo Indians because I read an article and just made me want to learn more about them.
The Yanomamo Indians, who live in the rainforests between Venezuela and Brazil, were possibly being mislabeled many years ago. They were described as violent, irrational, aggressive, and homicidal killers who inhale hallucinogenic snuff, raid each other's villages and were prone to acts of violence. The surprising thing: is that the person portraying the Yanomamo this way was an experienced, well-educated and well known anthropologist named Napoleon Chagnon.
Chagnon has studied the Yanomamo Indians for over 25 years and has written several articles and books about them. Chagnon has also formed a group called the Yanomamo Survival Fund. The group collected funds to be distributed to Indian cooperatives in Venezuela. Why not Brazil also is the first question I thought of. Many believe the situation in Brazil was not as stable as Venezuela. .
The Yanomamo Indians in Brazil, by some accounts, were being forced off their lands by gold miners and timber companies. Some evidence suggest that the government was also forcing the Yanomamo of Brazil out of their traditional territory. "Bruce Albert, an anthropologist at the University of Brasilia, said that news reports on Indian violence based on Chagnon's article appeared in the Brazilian press at the same time the government was deciding how much land to give the Yanomamo.
