Customer Reviews

Yanomamo Interactive: The Ax Fight

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This book has been criticized heavily for its emphasis on violence and warfare, and in fact there are many things in Chagnon's ethnography which could be debated--however, above all, this is a very readable, very well written book which does provide a lot of useful information. I read it as a student in the mid-70's and again last year before I went to work with the Yanomami in Brazil, and it was quite useful. I think it should be the first book on the Yanomami that any novice reads--the other books, attacking Chagnon, won't mean much otherwise

I am a graduating student of Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon who was assigned to read this book for a Cultural Anthropology class. Much to my surprise, this book has become a real page-turner!

I never thought I'd have a hard time putting down a textbook. Chagnon's insightful, and more importantly, personalized account of his experiences living among an Amazonian tribe is riveting. He is graphic and provides the kind of realistic detail that is rarely encountered in a textbook - at least none that I've come across so far. He pulls no punches, either in his descriptions of the cultural mores of the Yanomamo, or relating his own struggles and disagreements with his anthropological colleagues.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about other cultures, and what motivates humans to behave as they do. This is not just a book for college students or those working in the Anthropology field. I am a Business Management major, but I find the insights this book gives on the human condition to be invaluable. It is always important to be able to see the world through other people's eyes, and Napoleon Chagnon makes that possible through this book.

What better recommendation can I give, but that I will definitely not be selling this book back to my college bookstore, but rather adding it to my personal library!

Chagnon's book is one of the most widely read ethnographies of tribal and animistic people. In it you read how Chagnon sees the Yanamamo. If you want to read how the Yanamamo see Chagnon and other 'nabas' read "Spirit of the Rainforest" by Ritchie. It is written from the perspective of a Yanamamo shaman. You will discover things not covered in Chagnon's work.

This bestseller ethnography is praised for its detail; Chagnon is praised for unprecedented geneological and geographical data. Chagnon has spent many decades living with these people and collecting data. Cultural ecology, subsistence and political organization seem to be his strengths, but the text is exceedingly masculine. It can be criticized for ignorning women, those with less power, and power differential. The author's depiction of the Yanomamo as warlike and fierce is argued as overdone and jeapardizing of the wellbeing of the Yanomamo. Prior to Chagnon they were a mostly uncontacted people and since they have been enculturated, devastated by mining, and have lost respect due to their fierce reputation. Very thought provoking, informative and controversial, this 260 page ethnography is a must read for anyone interested in the field of anthropology.

Most introductory ethnographies--descriptions of a variety of cultures--drag on and on. Napoleon Chagnon's Yanomamo is different. From his less-than-ideal first encounter with a dozen warriors who greeted him with bows drawn, to a Jaguar's breath as a wake-up call at 3:00 a.m. in the middle of a jungle, Chagnon takes his readers through one (mis)adventure after another. Still, Yanomamo is far more than an ethnographic thriller depicting a tribal people in southern Venezuela. Chagnon describes in detail the Yanomamos' seemingly exotic practices--the rule that a tribesman should marry his classificatory cross-cousin, or the abduction of women that invariably sparks a war, or a chest-pounding duel at any feast that might prevent an all-out battle from breaking out amid the festivities. More, he explains the significance of these (for us) strange practices: for example, marrying your cross-cousin is a very good way to keep your village together. (Read and find out how.) For more than 20 years, I have used successive editions of this text for my introductory anthropology courses. Indeed, Yanomamo is among the most widely adopted ethnographies at the college freshman level. This book is a readable yet solid piece of scholarship, one that many students will keep long after the finals are over.

Who says we can't learn anything from primitive peoples? Napolean Chagnon writes a book about the "fierce people," an Amazonian tribe that values violent passion above all, and low and behold -- the Nabas (Norte Americanos) all divide up into tribes and start shooting arrows (or is that errors?) at one another. Chagnon and his fellow "anthros" start wars to film people fight, engage in germ warfare, and don't care about the people they live among. The missionaries give shotguns away that are used for murder, practice cultural imperialism, and work for the CIA. (I believe Hugo Chavez himself pointed that out!) Some guy named Tierney is a dishonest scholar. (Apparently they got that one right, anyway!)

So pick your team, and grab a club.

Meanwhile, if you want a good book about a primitive tribe, both this and Spirit of the Rainforest make great reads, even though they come from opposing factions. Their portrayal of the Yanomamo is generally consistent and fascinating, in a sometimes horrifying way. Chagnon's is more detailed, a bit more objective (though he is certainly not afraid of voicing his opinions, and the personal style and details make the book so much more interesting than just an academic abstract on an Indian tribe).

I appreciated the detail Chagnon offers: the kinds of plants used for arrows, the size of villages, family relations -- though he offered a bit more of that than I wanted -- diet, dance, death, even a bit about "pets."

Spirit of the Rainforest is an even better read, and tells you a lot about the Yanomamo as well. My recommendation: read both. Chagnon didn't always stay in the same village, either.

Sometimes Chagnon touches on what for many may be the most interesting question. To what extent does the violent lifestyle of the Yanomamo reflect that of our own "common ancestors?" Is this what it was like for Cain and Abel?

I've been reading a very interesting, but more difficult book lately called Prehistory of the Americas, which helps answer some of these questions for me. It seems that the earliest tribes were, like the Yanomamo, small kinship groups -- even smaller, wandering bands, mostly living on big game. (mammoths, etc). Graves seem to suggest at times more equality between the sexes, and perhaps less violence, though I'm still a little unsure about that.

What is shocking is that settled peoples in the Americas seem to become, if anything, less attractive. Their diet goes south (food does not seem to be the problem for the Yanomamo), and then hierarchy develops, slavery, and human sacrifice, which seems to get worse as time goes by. Nor is Sumer much better. All of which is to say, I am coming in the process to appreciate our great prophets more -- Confucius, Lao Zi, Epictetus, Buddha, Isaiah, and Jesus -- and what they've done for the human race. Sometimes Chagnon, while recognizing how nasty life has been for the Yanomamo, seems to acquiesce in the nastiness, to display a kind of "zookeeper" mentality towards primitive tribes. He seems a bit conflicted over the issue.

My own feeling is that these two tribes of nabas, anthros and missionaries, can learn a lot from one another. Understanding a people should not, after all, conflict with helping them. Maybe the naba tribes should get together and have a feast.

Great book for an introduction to the yanomamo. It was interesting and great for my anthropology class. Very helpul to understand the different culture.

Chagnon does the Yanomami justice in this book. It is well written, humorous, and an excellent read. I read the book as part of an anthropology class and found myself entrenched in the book.

In every way this is a very interesting topic. University of Michigan anthropologist, Napoleon Chagnon has written a very readable monograph concerning the Yanomamo people of southern Venezuela. The Yanomamo live near the Orinoco River and prior to Chagnon's "discovery" this tribe was virtually untouched and isolated from the outside. Before buying this book, you need to have a reason for reading it. Students of the social sciences and anthropologists would be remiss to not read this book. It is an outstanding look at a wonderfully fascinating group of people. And for this reason, I would highly recommend it

This seller has done a great job! I appreciated the quick response when I had questions. Thank you so much!!!