Yanmamo essays

Yanmamo essays There are many differences between the South American Yanomamo culture and the North American culture that we have adapted to, but just at there is culture diversity between us, we have some similarities. The ethnography, which is chose, was Yanomamo written by Napoleon A. Chagnon, anthropologists. Chagnon tells us how to it was to live among the Yanomamo family, political and warfare system versus the American Culture. The Yanomamo are of patrilineal culture, male oriented and very sexist. For some reason they believe that, they are superior to women, so do some men in American culture. However, they are jolted back reality when the law gets involved, unfortunately Yanomamo men dont have this wake up call. Marriage is cross-cultural perspective. Yanomamo marriages are much different from that of American marriages. Yanomamo women are treated as materialistic objects and promised by their father or brother to a Yanomamo man in return for reciprocity. The reciprocity could be another Yanomamo women or political alliances. The trades are often practiced in the Yanomamo culture. Polygamy is also a part of the Yanomamo culture. Yanomamo women are kept in the males possession. The Yanomamo man tries to collect as many wives as he possibly can in order to demonstrate his power and masculinity. As polygamy in American Culture is referred to as bigamy which is against the law. Besides, polygamy, the practice of infanticide plays a role in the lack of women in their society. Yanomamo prefer to parent a male child rather than a female child, so in case a female is born she is killed at birth. This again proved their sexist beliefs that women are inferior. Many Yanomamo women fearing their husbands kill a female infant to avoid disappointing their so-called better half. To the people of American culture certain procedures of murdering a new born baby would be considered brutal, horrific and muti...