Chapter 6 Summary and Analysis

There are three alternatives to outright war among the Yanomamo people. Chest pounding, side slapping, and club fights each have specific rules and each provides a way to end hostilities without outright warfare. Though the use of spears is not common, there are cases in which two tribes are too angry for the dispute to be settled with duels so agree to use other weapons. The most common reasons for outright war are the theft of women, theft of cultivated food, or witchcraft. An unexplained death is often "explained" as resulting from sorcery from a nearby village. For this reason, villages in close proximity typically must either be allies or eventually find themselves at war. Though women and children are sometimes taken during the course of a raid, stealing women is not typically the reason for the plan.

Some forty percent...