Study of Yanomami Culture: Day In The Field

In my day in the field, I will be writing in the point of view of the person filming Professor Chagnon, as well as pictures while he does his research on the Yanomamo. I am a resent male graduate with a major in filming and major in anthropology helping Professor Chagnon in his studies. For this trip, we will be focusing on the Yanomami warfare, and violence within the village to give us a better understanding on their culture, and why the resort to raids and violence. It will be taking place during the spring, and we will mainly be discussing with the men.

B. Sources

Chagnon, N. A. (1968). Yanomamo: the fierce people. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

C. A Day In The Field

I look up to Professor Chagnon I admired his dedication to studying the culture of the Yanomamo, when he invited me to join him on one of his trips to film his research, I was over joyed and nervous. Professor Chagnon warned me of the possible dangers that could happen while we were with the Yanomamo, since our main focus on this trip is to get a better understanding of why raids and violence accurse, and what it tells us about the Yanomano and their culture.

It is nine in the morning, Professor Chagnon informs me of the information and data we hope to collect today, the three main forms of violence that accrue in and out side of each village, “chest pounding, side slapping and club fights” (Chagnon, 118) Professor Chagnon instructs me to follow him with the camera and film equipment. The Professor stops as he watch’s two men pounding each others chests, I begin preparing my camera to talk a photo when a friend of Professor Chagnon come’s over to say hello Professor Chagnon greets his friend an introduces me, Professor Chagnon as his friends what ...

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...en a person enters a society different from their own. This is demonstrated with the narrator, though he understands the Yanomamos way of life, he does reveal moments of being uncomfortable with the way the society works.

Culture Relativism: putting aside any judgment or beliefs against a culture different from one’s own culture. In the narrators experience he is able to collect his thoughts and understand that their way of life is different from his own and that he must not judge them in order to truly understand them.

Exchange: trading goods between two people, were both benefits. However, thought the narrator had not seen and exchange he did however heard about one of Professor Chagnon’s experiences with someone wanting to trade his knife with him.

Works Cited

Chagnon, N. A. (1968). Yanomamo: the fierce people. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.