Case Study- Chagnon entering the Yanomamo Society
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At first, the Yanomamo did not readily accept Chagnon. He was greeted
by a group of scary men looking hostile and ready to attack him, and had
to endure these men ?examining him? with their hands full of mucus or tobacco
juice. He was not accepted because he was an outsider who did not speak
the language or know the people, and so it was difficult for them to immediately
trust him, especially since he looked and behaved in a different way than
them.
At first Chagnon did not like what he saw. He had imagined the Yanomamo
to be a lot different, and many things about them annoyed Chagnon, like
the fact that they always wanted his food, and he had to learn to ignore
them. Fundamentally, he was not used to their behaviour and culture. He
also found that many of them lied to him about certain information. This
was probably due to Chagnon?s sudden interaction and involvement with the
Yanomamo people causing many of them to feel that their power, status and
privacy were being threatened, and many of the questions that he asked
them may have caused some of them to feel uncomfortable. To the Trobrianders,
lying to Chagnon probably seemed the easiest way to patronise him and gain
a higher sense of power and position over this ?intruder?.
About the Author
by: Admin
Total views: 168
Word Count: 225
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 Time: 12:00 AM
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