JU/'HOANSI AND THE YANOMAMO

Ju/'hoansi and the Yanomamo

Question #1 Two early and influential ethnographies of the Ju/'hoansi and the Yanomamo emphasized the notions of “The Harmless People” (Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, 1958) and “The Fierce People” (Napoleon Chagnon, 1968) respectively, to categorize or describe these cultures. In what ways does the ethnographic literature support or refute these stereotypes? How and in what ways are the Ju/'hoansi and the Yanomamo similar/different to each other in terms of these notions of harmlessness/fierceness in consideration of their own views as well as those reported over time by anthropologists?

Ju/'hoansi is an indeginous tribe in the deserts of Angola, Namibia and Botswana. This tibe is also sometimes called the Ju/wasi and the Kung. It is a San society with the population of 15,000 people living in the deserts of southern Africa with a central. Habitually the Ju/'hoansi were nomads who hunted and gathered until the end of the twentieth century. These tribes had to keep moving to keep eating as water and food resources are scarce in the hostile desert environment. These tribes did not have periods where there could be plenty of food unlike other people who live in barren regions. Therefore, food cannot be stored for future use. In modern days Ju/'hoansi have mostly established stable societies where they can do farming, herding the livestock, producing crafts, and do other work.

Yanomamö tribe is located in the Amazon Forest of Brazil and Venezuela. Culture of Yanomamö of central Brazil is one of the oldest examples of native forest before the conquest. The Yanomamo live almost completely isolated in the Amazon rainforest in South America and, according to many anthropologists, are perhaps the last culture to have come into contact with the modern world. Yanomamo has several dialects, however, it does not have any written language.

The Yanomamo live in small groups or tribes and live in circular huts known as Shabono, which are made as individual spaces for living. The clothing is minimal, and much of their daily life is devoted to gardening, hunting, meetings, creation of necessary objects, and visits the other members of the community. Are small tribes having their men in the highest positions? The Chiefs are always men who are responsible for the safety and knowledge of women. They practice polygamy.

According to Lee the Ju/'hoansi are a comparatively aggressive civilization. While his stay among the tribes for 3 years he documented fifty eight arguments out of which thirty four led to fights of physical nature. He has admitted that his opinions are different from other perceptions of that tribe as being peaceful, as mentioned by Thomas, who has the opinion, that during the 1950s when she was observing them along with her family, they documented very few cases of violence. According to her, cultural consistency of the Ju/'hoansi was due to their successful adaptability of the environment they live in. Peace was a strong element of their society. They have developed methods to suppress violence and aggression and ways to achieve ...