Yanomami of Venezuela and Brazil - Native Nations: The Survival of Indigenous Peoples, 3rd Edition

Yanomami of Venezuela and Brazil

Below are resources related to the “Yanomami of Venezuela and Brazil” chapter of Native Nations: The Survival of Indigenous Peoples, 3rd Edition, edited by Sharlotte Neely and Douglas W. Hume.

The Yanomami’s struggle for cultural survival is a constant battle, see for example the numerous recent new stories about them.

Agencies & Organizations

Hutukara (Yanomami Association)
Survival International – Yanomami
Yanomami: Indigenous Peoples in Brazil (Instituto Socioambiental, São Paulo)

Discussion Questions

Anthropologists tend to view themselves as the defenders of Indigenous Peoples. Among the Yanomami there developed a controversy within the discipline of anthropology over whether anthropologists were helping or exploiting the group. Briefly outline the main issues in this controversy.
What do you think the truth of the matter is?

Documentary Films

A Man Called Bee: Studying the Yanomamö (Internet Archive)
Davi and the Yanomami (Survival International)
Secrets of the Tribe (Documentary Educational Resources)
The Feast (Internet Archive)
Warriors of the Amazon (Internet Archive)
Yanomamö: A Multidisciplinary Study (Internet Archive)

Further Reading

Darkness in El Dorado Controversy Archives (news and journal articles, book reviews, email correspondence, etc.) as well as Teaching Resources (key readings from multiple perspectives)
Hawkins, Anna. 2096. "Yanomami Update." Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine 20 (3). https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/yanomami-update.
Hume, Douglas William. 2013. “Anthropology: Tribal Warfare.” Nature 494 (7437): 310.
Hume, Douglas William. 2016. “Darkness in Academia: Cultural Models of How Anthropologists and Journalists Write About Controversy.” World Cultures eJournal 21 (1).

Contemporary Yanomami People

Davi Kopenawa — Davi Kopenawa at 2014 International Literary Festival of Paraty (Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil [CC BY 3.0 BR]).

Yanomami Historical Range

Yanomami Historical Range Map — Yanomami location in South America (Javierfv1212 [CC BY-SA]).

Yanomami Ethno-historical Photograph

Yanomami Woman and Child — Yanomami Woman and Child (Cmacauley [CC BY-SA]).

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