Politics & Violence
1. Firstly, the Yanomamo have no "formal laws, or institutionalized adjudicators such as chiefs or judges." Their rules regarding killing, and the consequence of killing, rests primarily in their cultural stance on these actions. This is different from the rules in Western cultures, as there are legitimate laws and systems in place that react to immoral behaviors, such as killing. The Yanomamo participate in revenge killings, which commonly occur as a result of sexual incidences. Vengeance is perceived as a genuine cause for killing, essentially permitting it and promoting it to ensure the village's reputation and henceforth safety of its members. Killing for vengeance is not permissible in Western cultures, however, there are rules in place that protect those who kill in self defense. The consequence for breaking a cultural rule, such as stealing a woman from another village, would be having your village raided in return. The consequence for not engaging in raids, which is something that is normal within this culture and can almost be defined as a "rule" for their life, would be a label of cowardice and likely more frequent attacks from aggressive neighbors. The consequence for breaking a rule in Western cultures would mean legal intervention and possibly jail, depending on its severity.
2. Revenge killings generally are a response to sexual issues or sometimes bereavement following a death that is believed to have occurred because of harmful magic. These conflicts will escalate in severity, until a group of 10 to 20 men raid a village, shooting the first victims they see with arrows and then quickly escaping. Raids can occur within one communal village, causing there to be a split, or they can occur between neighboring villages.
3. The benefits of obtaining the status of unokais is that you are perceived as more valuable, and held in higher esteem. It is encouraged for men to be valiant and aggressive, as displayed in the status achieved upon being an unokais. Another benefit is that these men have better reproductive success, whether it stem from their willingness to appropriate women by force or from their desirability after becoming unokais. One of the benefits of being a non-unokais is that you will face less lethal situations. However, many of the victims in revenge raids are women or young men who have yet to become unokais. Although, overall, if you do not actively participate in killing you are less likely to be found in an immediately dangerous situation. A man might choose to become a unokais because he values the prestige and appeal that comes from it.
4.
Political Structure: Villages within the Yanomamo culture are made up of patrilineal descent groups.Each tribe has a political leader, or multiple political leaders, who come from these groups and they ultimately make the decisions regarding revenge killings. These villages have a political structure that is intertwined with their kinship. Because the leader(s) is/are genetically related to the people of their village, they are much more likely to approve killing for revenge as it is often a close relative who was a victim.
Social Status/Social Organization: The person with the highest social status would likely be the political leader, who is polygynous. The leader decides when a revenge killing can be conducted. Unokais likely also have high status and have better reproductive success within the village. You obtain the status of unokais, when you have hit a person with an arrow on a raid. The women of the village are more likely to reproduce with those of a higher status, securing the need for continued revenge killings to obtain that status.
Kinship: Kinship is closely related to the Yanomamo's revenge killings. Each village is made up of patrilineal descent groups, and these groups intermarry, causing new members to be genetically related. Because villages form from a kinship, when someone from the village is victimized, a majority of the tribesmen are related to the victim, and desire revenge. Many of the eligible male raider, who likely have a genetic connection to the victim, will volunteer, therefore, instead of just 1 man volunteering to enact a revenge killing, a group of 10-20 will be formed.
Marriage & Reproduction: The unokais, who participate in revenge killings, have better reproductive success. Due to this, more men might volunteer to go on raids. Intermarriage between these villagers leads to bigger and closer-knit communities, meaning more men are available to raid and more disputes to occur.
5. Although killing is an "anti-social" behavior and no one should desire to do it, it is still important that we have laws against it. As seen in the article, revenge killings were often used as a way to protect each village and prevent further violent acts. If there were immediate repercussions for illicit behavior, this behavior could be stopped. Laws against "anti-social" behavior follow along with this mindset, it serves as a way to protect our people as well as deter future crime. Even though killing should be perceived as a universal wrong, there are still many, many instances where people do commit this heinous crime, even with the knowledge of the legal consequences that will be faced. These laws are essential in preserving and protecting the people within our communities.
Submission noted. I will return and provide feedback later.
ReplyDeleteHey Kate, I enjoyed reading your detailed response. I liked how when you talked about the Yanomamo's lack of laws you jump from mentioning examples from their culture to following the Western cultural norms. I do wish however that you added more of the benefits that came with being a unokai. I did find it interesting how you followed up with the positives of not being a unokai. Lastly, I really liked how in your final answer you mentioned murder being an "anti-social" behavior and like how you expanded upon that idea. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHey Kate! I definitly agree with you about how western culture and the Yanomamo culture differ, I said something similar as well. I also like how you mentioned that unokais have a higher status which effects the social organization. To add on to that I would say that the status of a unokai also ties into political structure and kinship. Great job!
ReplyDelete1. So, can you see any ethnocentrism in this statement:
ReplyDelete" This is different from the rules in Western cultures, as there are legitimate laws and systems in place that react to immoral behaviors, such as killing. "
What makes something "legitimate"? And to whom? Who determines what is considered "immoral"? You? Or the Yanomamo?
Review you post and see if you can see places where your bias is sneaking through. Check it at the door for these assignments. :-)
"Killing for vengeance is not permissible in Western cultures"
Not directly. But what about if a person is sentenced to the death penalty for a crime? Isn't that also "killing"?
2. "Revenge killings generally are a response to sexual issues or sometimes bereavement following a death"
Actually, revenge killings are primarily for the death of a kinsperson, though this can be a direct killing or an allegation of death through magic of some sort. Arguments over women can result in fights/arguments that can lead to a killing, which will in turn result in a revenge killing in retribution. Make sure you distinguish between killing as a crime vs. killing as punishment.
3. Very good. I appreciate the possible explanation for opting to be a non-unokais.
4.
Political structure: I see from your discussion here how political power can influence revenge killings, but how can revenge killings influence political power? How is a leader chosen? Can a non-unokais have political power?
Social status/organization: Good, but let's take the point on women a step further: Why do women prefer unokais as mates? Can they improve their own social status through such a union?
Kinship: Okay, but keep the thought process going. How does taking part in revenge killings influence a man's kin group? Would it strength kin bonds? Expand his kin group? Offer a better chance to marry a woman and form an alliance with her kin?
Marriage and reproduction: Okay, but one additional point... unokais are also able to be polygynous, which will significantly increase their reproductive success.
5. You aren't actually answering the key question here: If killing is recognized to be socially/morally bad, why do we need laws against it? Shouldn't people just not kill? The point here is to recognize that there is killing in all cultures, including both the Yanomamo and Western societies. Both cultures have systems of dealing with it. But the question remains... why do people kill if this behavior is so universally recognized as "bad"?
Both Western cultures and the Yanomamo have laws against these behaviors, not because they are bad but because people may gain some benefit from engaging in those laws to the detriment of those around them.
We are creatures of biology, regardless of how "civilized" we might want to think we are. Killing can benefit an organism if they gain resources or a mate or defend their offspring in the process, correct? So that benefit is still there in humans, whether we like it or not. Killing is an instinctive, biological reaction to a threat of some sort, to our lives, to our family (genes) or to our resources, but it can also be a strategy to advance your survival, such as (for example) killing off a rival. Understand that this isn't excusing the behavior. It just explains it. But we need laws against this behavior, not because no one wants to do it but because sometimes people can benefit from this behavior... i.e., they DO want to kill because it benefits them. Laws protect us from selfish actions of others, acting to their own benefit and the harm of others.