Amazonia Villages/Chiefdoms

1. Amazonia Villages/Chiefdoms Wilson’s Chapter 6 The Yanomamö

2. Amazon Basin • Homogeneity of the Amazon Basin • High average temperatures • Poor soils • rainforest • Productivity differences • Terra firme • Várzea • Social Ecology theories (Sociobiology)

3. Yanomamö • Researchers: • Napoleon Chagnon (1964) • William Smole (1976) • Brian Ferguson (1995) • Judith Shapiro (1972) • Kenneth Good (1991) • Controversy • Are Yanomami Violence and Warfare Natural Human Efforts to Maximize Reproductive Fitness?

4. Chagnon’s Yanomamö • Physical Environment • 117,500 km2 Orinoco highlands (southeastern Venezuela & northcentral Brazil) • Mode of Production • 80-90% horticulturalism (plantains, avocados, papayas, chili peppers, tobacco, and 3 types of tubers) • Protein food, hunting and fishing • Settlement Pattern • Warfare as institution • Shabono- family dwellings • Criteria for its location

5. Yanomamö • Mode of Reproduction • 200-250 villages • 10-20,000 people • Female infanticide & sex ratios • Warfare as balance agent • Domestic Economy • Women’s duties • Men’s duties • Social Organization • 2+ affinally related lineage groups • Cross cousin marriages, bride service • Internecine war (among kin) • Domestic violence & protection from her family

6. Yanomamö • Political Economy • “fights over women” • Importance of trade • Distrust and uncertainty • Violence and killing • Levels of violence • Nomohori(dastradkt trick) • Ritual and Leadership • Headman who regulates violence • Shamans use the hekuradarts (enemies and the sick) • Use of ebene for shamanistic initiation • Ideology • Four-layer cosmos and four-part soul • Myth of waiteri“Moon’s blood” • Children are vulnerable to malevolent shamans

7. Other Amazon Indigenous Groups • Shuar-Jívaro • Mundurucú • Desana • Conclusion All pictures on this presentation were taken from www.google.com & other websites