Doing Fieldwork Among the Yanomamo

Summary: This article is about an Anthropologist who graduated from the University of Michigan. This intelligent individual is looking to study the fieldwork among the Yanomamo Indians. This particular tribe live in Southern Venezuela. They live in areas that have not yet been contacted by other human life. The people among the tribe have very different values than that of people from the United States. First of all according to Chagnon the tribe members among the Yanomamo are disgustingly dirty. "I looked up and gasped when I saw a dozen burly, naked, filthy, hideous men staring at us down the shafts of their drawn arrows!" He also stated that chunks of green tobacco was stuck in between their teeth and lips. Green slime also hung from their noses. Reading this I was appauled! How could anyone bare the feeling of being dirty to that extreme. As I continued reading I realized that the people among the Yanomamo have different cultural norms that set them apart from other groups. By not bathing regularly they are able to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time.

Relation to Sociology: This relates to Sociology because in class we learned what it means to be ethnocentric. To be ethnocentric means to view your lifestyle as better than others. Anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon thought that the Yanomamo did not meet his standards of living therefore making his lifestyle appear to be superior. Chagnon also viewed society in the United States as better because of the way we eat, where as the people there steal eachother's food and constantly beg for me. In a way we are similar to the Yanomamo because when we prepare meals we do so for an entire group of people living in our home.

Relation to My Life: I can see why Chagnon might be so quick to judge the Yanomamo. If I was to take the trip myself the first thing I would notice was the way the people lived. I would most definitely notice the lack of structure. Not only are the people filthy (in my eyes), but where is the meaning of life among these people. There is no schooling that is mentioned and without education a society or group tends to fall apart. Overall I enjoyed the article and thought it was good for me to read about other cultures norms and values compared to that of my own.

   A different cultural norm. The members of the Yanomamo wear little to no clothing!!