Politics and Violence

1. We humans have lived millions of years without a written language, but that does not mean we do not have laws of punishment and behavior just because they are not written. While each culture has a set of rules, the Yanomamo rules generally differ from Western culture. The killings that the Yanomamo commit raise the stature of the individual within the community. Children are encouraged and rewarded to “act” aggressively; a shared belief that it’s acceptable to murder another person from the perspective of revenge. Similarly, Western culture uses the death penalty as a similar act of revenge against those who committed an act of murder. We also see killing as an expected part of war; individuals such as police officers or federal agents are authorized to kill others if the lives of others are threatened. However, Western culture does not typically reward killing someone, and aggressive behavior is not seen as positively encouraged. Western culture does not justify individuals murdering others if the motive stems from vengeance or revenge. In the US, there are court systems and law enforcement to govern individuals which is different from the Yanomamo as they have no “chiefs or judges.”

2. The Yanomamo typically base their revenge killings on conflict over women. The means to kill someone range from slight suspicion to revenge. Their acts are very ceremonial. Fights turn to raids which typically take place at dawn. For example, a headman had been killed by a raiding party and the body was made into ashes and stored in tiny gourds. Women would consume the ashes to make raiders more aggressive. The raiding party is made up of men and is small. The parties will target the village and can continue to do so for the next 10 years. On the eve of the attack, the men plan who they want to kill (whoever committed the first attack) yet most of the time they kill whoever they see first. The warriors involved in the killing must participate in a ritual cleansing afterward (Unokaimou).

3. Unokais are those who have killed. Even though the risk of death may be higher, there are many benefits to becoming an unokais. A fierce reputation and respect within the community increase. The reputation serves as a form of protection from other tribes that may want to attack them. If there are more unokais in the tribe, they are less likely to be under attack from another tribe. They are also less likely to have other villagers steal their wives. Since non-unokais don’t have a good reputation, their spouses are targeted in comparison to spouses of unokais. Unokais have higher reproductive success because their chances of finding a mate are higher in comparison to non-unokais. Typically men want to become unokais for this very reason. A high-level unokais (headman) will have multiple marriages and from within each marriage, his kinship expands to include the kin of his wives and likely into additional villages. Later, this will allow a substantial amount of power in numbers to prevent future revenge killings from being inflicted on them. While non-unokais are less likely to be involved in violence and risky life choices, they will have limited kin, most likely just within their village. They are also more likely to be seen in a negative light. They will be mocked and belittled by other tribesman for their unwillingness to fight. The benefits of becoming a unokais are more rewarding and outweigh the risks of staying a non-unokais. They get better status and more women which is proven in table 3 in the article. 88% of the 137 unokais were married men with multiple wives while only 51% of 243 non-unokais men were married and had fewer wives. 

4. Political structure 

Their political system relies on the village's descent groups where there are one or more political leaders. These leaders are men who take part in revenge killings and are unokais. The most prominent men in the tribe are known as "Pata" (Big Ones). The Yanomamo rely on kinship structure to form alliances and their village. The more relatives that support their raid, the stronger the group is entirely.

 Social Status/Social Organization 

Revenge killing becomes a big influence on the social status of the Yanomamo culture. Those participating in revenge killings gain a more reputable and higher social status. Men who are unokais gain respect and more wives. If men consistently back down from raids they are viewed as cowardice and their few wives are targeted. If the Yanomamo men actively raid they gain dignity, power, and influence on social organization.

Kinship 

Family is very important and if there is a death of a family member, violence will occur. A common statement from the Yanomamo tribe includes, “If my sick mother dies, I will kill some people.” It illustrates the motive to protect one’s kin. Most individuals are related to their kin in multiple ways. Men who unokaied one or more times gain more wives and, thus, produce more children. In the article, the data shows that “80% of the members are related to more than 75% of the village”. In this case, the village becomes synonymous with “kinship group”. The kinship dynamic contains patrilineal decent groups. Males and females of all ages are related to each other through the father’s line of descent. Likewise, the individuals of the Yanomamo must find their spouses in a patrimonial descent group, preferably within the village. 

Marriage & Reproduction 

Not only are large kin groups related to members of their lineal descent group through male links but also to other lineal descent groups through “consanguineal marriages and matrilateral ties”. Those who participate in the revenge killing, the unokais, have a higher rate of marital and reproductive success. Unokais either appropriate them forcibly or are deemed more desirable in comparison to those less reputable or “weak” (non-unokais). The Yanomamo tribe practices polygynous marriages, therefore it is not unusual to have multiple wives and children to grow the family. It helps build a stronger line of kinship for raiding other villages and protecting their own. 

5. In any society, there must be laws and rules to help us function. There needs to be an implementation of laws that help govern those who can not protect themselves. The article explains, “the desire for lex talonis, even in societies with law and formal judicial systems and that justice everywhere has an undeniable element of retribution.” My first thought was that the Yanomamo’s process does not stray from our system, yet the notable difference is that the Yanomamo are responsible for carrying out their version of justice. While the sole purpose of the killings in any culture is to protect one’s self or others (in whatever circumstance that may be), it should never be something someone feels they have to do on their own. Our laws are implemented to create a system of self-governance but do not require justice to be performed ourselves. I think there must be strong laws against “anti-social” behavior to prevent people who share similar beliefs to the Yanomamo from murdering others as their way of gaining benefits. A never-ending cycle of revenge would occur should there be no laws to establish order and justice.