Ya̦nomamö, the Fierce People

"Ya̦nomamö culture, in its major focus, reverses the meanings of "good" and "desirable" as phrased in the ideal postulates of the Judaic-Christian tradition. A high capactiy of rage, a quick flash point, and a willingness to use violence to obtain one's ends are considered desirable traits. Much of the behavior of the Ya̦nomamö can be described as brutal, cruel, treacherous, in the value-ladened terms of our own vocabulary. The Ya̦nomamö themselves, however, as Napolean Chagnon came to intimately know them in the year and a half he lived with them, do not all appear to be mean and treacherous. As individuals, they seem to be people playing their own cultural game, with internal feelings that at times may be quite divergent from the demands placed upon them by their culture. This case study furnishes valuable data for phrasing questions about the relationship between the individual and his culture."-- Foreword.