Grace Lawrence, Daniel Webber, Megan Lines

KINSHIPof the Yanomamö

Distinction between Males and Females

• PATRIARCHAL SOCIETYChildrenBoys : play, practice hunting becomes an “adult” in late teensGirls: housework, tending to siblings becomes “adult” when first menstruation

WOMEN

• Get promised to someone at early age• Move in with husband as soon as their first

period happens• Subject to violence from their husbands• Often have a caustic view on the world

MEN

• Show their power and ferocity by beating their wives

• Brothers protect their sisters against really cruel people

• Spend more time with their boy children than with their girls

Family & Household+

Rules of descent and residence.

Death & Inheritance/Descent Neither status or property is inherited among the Yanamamo. At death, kin incinerate the personal property of the deceased.

It is also traditional to not speak the deceased persons name after their death. If someone wishes to mention someone who is deceased, they must describe the person, instead of using their name.

When relatives die, their bodies are cremated and their ashes are eaten to preserve the life of the dead.

Family Life

Mothers are the primary carers for children. The fathers spend their time hunting and away from the house. Due to this, children generally stay close to their mother.

Girls and boys have different upbringings. Girls begin working from the age of 6, by doing jobs such as helping with gardening and helping with food preparation.

Meanwhile, boys spend their time playing and taking part in physical activities, slowly preparing them for a life of hunting.

Parents encourage their children to be assertive and to respond to insults with physical or verbal aggression. Physical punishment such as slapping is common.

Household

The Yanamamo live in villages usually consisting in their children and family. Village sizes vary, but usually contain between 50 and 400 people. In this largely communal system, the entire village lives under a common roof called the shabono.

Shabonos have an oval shape, with open grounds in the center measuring around 100 yards. Under the roof, divisions are made by support posts, allowing individual houses and spaces to be partitioned. Each family has its own area where food is prepared and cooked during the day. At night, hammocks are slung beside the fire to keep people warm. The central area is usually used for activities such as rituals, feasts and games.

Shabonos are made from raw materials from the nearby area, such as leaves, tree trunks and vines.

Every 1 to 2 years a new Shabono has to be built due to damage from rain, wind and insect infestation. An alternative name for a Shabono is a Yano.

First GenerationTwo men

marry each

other’s sister

to establish an allianc

e

Second Generation

The man ( ) marries his bilateral cross cousin (his mother’s brother’s daughter and his father’s sister’s daughter)

brother and sister

Bride Service - marriage is patrilocal but the husband has to live with his parents-in-law for several years.

Polygyny - is permitted, 10-20% of all males at any time are polygynists

Bilateral cousinsParallel cousinsThe man ( )

is not allowed to marry his

parallel cousins but he is

allowed to marry his

bilateral cousins