Yanomami of Venezuela

Below are resources related to the Douglas W. Hume's “Yanomami of Venezuela” chapter of Native Nations: The Survival of Indigenous Peoples, 4th 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

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?
  • Describe the threats to Yanomami cultural survival by outsiders in their recent history.
  • Explain the cultural changes that have occurred among the Yanomami due to external forces on them.

Documentary Films

Further Reading

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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