Study on the Yanomami Tribe

784 Words2 Pages

I have researched an historical outline of the Yanomamo tribe and some of their culture and religion, ranging from the food the people eat to how they get married to each other. I have chosen this tribe because according to many anthropologists the Yanomami people are one of the last tribes that had come in contact with the western culture. The Yanomamo people of Central Brazil are one of the oldest examples of the classic pre-Columbian forest footmen. The Yanomamo people are almost completely secluded living in the Amazon rain forests of South America. The Yanomamo live together in tribes or small bands and live in round communal huts called shabonos. The Yanomamo language consists of many different dialects, with no real written language. Clothes are rarely used, most of the Yanomami spend their time doing daily chores such as gathering food and materials, visiting with other people in the tribe and making things like tools. These tribes hold the men in the society in high standings. The chief of the tribe are almost always men who are held in high standings with both the men and women of the tribe. Husbands are often allowed to beat and abuse their wives if they feel it is necessary, they are also able to marry more than one wife. This is a way for the tribe to increase its population by having a loose for of polygamy. Yanomami people often base their politics on alliances that they have with other tribes. As a result of this system they often use trading in their society. One of these methods of forming political alliances is feasting. Feasting is when one village invites another village over to have a very large dinner. During this feast people have a lot of socializing going on. The Yanomamo talk and dance with each other al... ... middle of paper ... ...people believe is almost deserted. “They believe a portion of the Yanomamo live here. These people originated a long time ago when a piece of hedu broke off, crashed down to this layer, creating a hole and eventually falling through to become its own layer. Here, they have no game animals and have ruthless cannibals. They send their spirits up to this layer to capture the souls of children, which are carried down and eaten.” (Thompson 2013) In many Yanomamo villages, the shamans deals with the people that are on the bottom layer, trying to stop their cannibalistic methods. In past years, the effect of gold miners, lumber jacks and missions have changed the original Yanomami life. Some Yanomami are able to speak Spanish and have become Christians instead of the native religion. Others have become farmer’s lumber jack and other professions and joined the cash economy.

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