The Culture and the Values of the Yanomami
2006-09-14
The Yanomami people are a tribal people that live on the border of Venezuela and Brazil. They are the original inhabitants of the Amazon. The video, Warriors of the Amazon, depicts the story of a particular Yanomami village and its story of reconciliation with a neighboring village. The main people in this documentary who are discussed are Hesiweh, a shaman; Rapeweh, Hesiweh’s son; Taraima, Hesiweh’s daughter who fled the village to escape a violent husband; Mahokute, a shaman from the neighboring village; Kariana, a woman who is cured of a sickness; and Tarumi, a sickly unmarried woman who gives birth. The following will discuss the values and worldview of this animistic people group.
The Cultural Values of the Yanomami Tribe
It is important for all men to be warriors that display fierceness and courage. They are trained from infancy to exhibit this cultural value. It is important for them to learn to endure pain so they will become the best warriors they can be. For example, during the inter-village reconciliation feast, Hesiweh’s village demonstrates their endurance as hot embers are poured upon them from a flaming log.
Vengeance for the dead leads to another important reason for being a great warrior. This is seen as to why Taraima’s husband does not want to stay in Hesiweh’s village to work in the garden according to normal Yanomami family protocol, and instead wants to get revenge on enemies in the mountains.
A close-knit community and family loyalty is also imperative to Yanomami culture. This is seen in their village-wide dwelling, called a shabono, where all the people live. Each family has their own hearth under the circular canopy-like structure. This communal aspect is also exhibited through the expectation of Taraima and her husband to remain with her father and work in Hesiweh’s garden, regardless of her ten years away from her home village. The fact that Taraima fled away was why Hesiweh and Rapeweh initiated the restoration feast with old enemies in the neighboring village. They wanted to see her again. Individuals in the community who owned the peach palm trees pooled together their fruit for the benefit of the community and their guests. This is no small thing since it is difficult to climb the 100-foot, spike-laden trees with their specially designed ladders to get to the fruit.
Family loyalty is also seen in how they treat their dead. Once someone dies, the Yanomami cremate their relatives and keep their ashes in gourds. They ground their bones, put it in a banana stew, and consume the concoction. The eldest living relative is the one who consumes first. They believe that their relatives would hate to dwell in the ground; they would want to dwell inside the living. Though the respect for their dead is very important to them, Yanomami never speak names of the dead again after they have been cremated.
Being family and community oriented could very well help their application in Biblical truth. A close family and respect for each other according to family roles is important according to the Bible (Ephesians 5-6; Colossians 3-4). Communal worship is important throughout the Bible as well. The whole Israelite community came together at Jerusalem three times a year for worship of the Lord (Leviticus 23). In the New Testament, Paul exhorts the Jewish believers of “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25). Since this aspect of communal life is entwined in their history, they would probably worship the Lord together as a body far better than Christians in North America do.
Their warrior mentality would be a probable hindrance to their application of Biblical truth. Though Hesiweh’s village and Mahokute’s village made amends after years of reciprocal attacks, tension was still present, and the narrator made it clear that hostility could always break out again at any moment. The falling out of the two villages and the endless acts of retaliation are very contrary to the word of God. Although the torah does allow for God’s government of Israel for the punishment to fit the crime (Leviticus 24:17), Jesus makes it clear that forgiveness between two people and the love for enemies should be the goal (Matthew 5:38-48). This would be a hard cultural distinctive to correct, though it may help them with seeing themselves as sinners before God and to rely on Him for change.
The Quest for a Wife in Yanomami Society
There is more to finding a wife than seeking a virtuous woman in Yanomami society. The husband receives allies for his raiding party by gaining brothers-in-law. This new alliance in the family is the basis for the man’s power. When the new alliance was forged between the two villages, it was with great additional benefit that that each village could gain access to more prospective wives. This quest for a wife reinforces the core cultural value of warfare and vengeance.
The value of women in Yanomami culture is worth mentioning. On two occasions, men, in what appeared to be a facetious tone, stated that during the feast the men would have intercourse with each other’s women. If this is a practice that literally goes on in such feasts, then the value of women is very low and the concept of marriage is even more twisted than originally thought.
It is important to note that Rapeweh and Taraima’s reunion was not a tearful one of great joy. Taraima seems to be more with the women while Rapeweh and his new brother-in-law were arguing over future plans. Gaining war companions and finding coworkers for the family garden seem to be more important than matrimonial and familial love.
The primary foundational teaching lesson from the word that immediately addresses this situation is in Genesis 2:18-25. God designed the woman to be a “help” to the man (Genesis 2:18). The “help” is not her brothers; but the help is she herself. Most importantly, one must emphasize that God ordained the sacrament of marriage; it is not up to humankind to design what marriage is like.
Additional follow up teachings could be procured throughout the rest of the Bible. In Song of Solomon 8, there is little mention of the Shulamite’s brothers; the Song of Solomon is a love story between Solomon and the woman with no ulterior motives.
In the New Testament, the church is pictured as the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:9). Jesus unconditionally loved the church; He did not seek the church to be His because there was something in it for Him or that the church had something special to provide for Christ. He loves the church and freely gave Himself for the church. The same is true for the husband and the wife throughout the Pauline epistles.
How the Author or Christ Measures Up to the Yanomami’s View of an Ideal Person
As for me, I would be far from what they would consider ideal. I have never been in a fistfight let alone a great battle. I do not avenge wrongs that were against me, nor do I have great desires of waging war on those who did. My sinful weakness is found on the opposite side of the spectrum: let the matter drop and avoid conflict. Since reciprocity is important for the Yanomami (that is, the unending acts of vengeance to repay for every wound ever inflicted), I do not measure up to their standards at all. Jesus that much more would not live up to their standard since He did not bear malice on anyone. He had the power to easily destroy the Jews and the Romans that sentenced Him to death, but did not. He let them crucify Him so that He could save the world from their sins.
This can be reconciled in the teaching by exhibiting the virtue of Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” If someone from the tribe does something malicious against believers who are teaching or will one day teach the Gospel, the believers can trust the Lord to allow them to exhibit His love by not retaliating. The tribal people will notice that something is very different about this attitude, and may respect the believers for showing them kindness despite their sin.
The Foundational Principle for Yanomami Society
Reciprocity is the foundation of Yanomami society. This foundational principle exists in both a positive and a negative aspect. The positive aspect is that when one person or one village does good things for another person or village, the latter is obligated to return the favor. This was seen in the expectation that Mahokute’s village would reciprocate and have Hesiweh’s village for a feast.
The negative aspect regards the necessity of retaliation for every wound inflicted and every wrong received. From a young age, the child is trained to return a hit for every one they receive. If one kills another from another village, the offended village must avenge the dead.
For missionaries in such a village, the believers would have to expect that if they do good things for the tribal people, they could expect the favor to be returned. On the contrary, if the believers offend the tribal people, even unintentionally, they can expect the same kind of treatment in return. Since intercultural faux pas is inevitable, the believers can expect some hostility during their ministry.
Animistic Themes in Yanomami Culture
The Yanomami are constantly at war with spirits and demons. Warfare is the answer to all conflicts, both in the physical and spiritual worlds. Spirits cause all sicknesses, some of which may be caused by the magic of enemies. When Kariana became sick, immediately the shamans were trying to pull the sickness out of her. Hesiweh became indwelt by the moon and rainbow demons to diagnose a cure. By the suggestion of the source of these demons, the Yanomami believe that spirits indwell creation. In the case of Kariama, Hesiweh discovered a method of healing and she was cured. It is also standard to search for the enemies’ tracks in their camp; an enemy shaman might have entered their camp, and the village shaman looks to see if and who might have practiced the witchcraft to cause the sickness.
The catalyst for contact with the spiritual world is the use of various hallucinogens such as certain types of tree bark and seeds. These things are often inhaled though the nose, and cause instant effects. These drugs intensify the perception of colors, shapes, and time, and the partakers of these drugs can allegedly see visions of the spirit world.
Other types of taboos and superstitions were also strictly followed. The dead cannot be mentioned by name after their funeral ritual. They also believe they must consume their dead in order to please them, as opposed to burying them. Another taboo states that a hunter may not consume what he himself has killed, for it is dishonorable. Blood may not be seen in meat; it must be cooked and boiled for many hours. This taboo could be mere superstition, or it could be something remembered from the ancient world (Genesis 9:4).
The Role of Cultural Reality in Yanomami Beliefs and Practices
It is often difficult to differentiate what is cultural reality and what is real demonic manipulation. It would be a good hypothesis that the curing of Kariama and like ritualistic healing would be created reality, and not demonic power. First, the spiritual indwelling of the shamans may not be real demonic indwelling, since hallucinogenic drugs induce the spiritual experience. The shamans have preset beliefs of the spirit world, and therefore see what they want to see in such a state. Second, Kariama’s healing was probably a fluke. Four out of ninety people died in Hesiweh’s village in a period of eight weeks while the film crew was on the site, and even Hesiweh himself died three weeks later. The tribe, once twenty-five thousand in population, has been cut in half since western diseases came in and devastated the people group. Most of the time, their method of cures does not yield results.
The same is true of the shamans’ ability to utilize magic to induce harm on the enemy. Hesiweh was worried when his guests were eating that they would use magic herbs against them. He warned them that he would retaliate against them with magic to sterilize their women if they did such an atrocious thing. They believed that something would work when they did such magic, and believed that herbs have some sort of intrinsic magical power. What they believe will correspond with how they interpret the events that happen.
When Hesiweh and Mahokute heal each other, Hesiweh said he immediately felt better when Mahokute sucked the pain out of his knee. Hesiweh believed the method used would work; therefore psychologically the pain that was there went away.
How the Spirit World is Involved with Their Lives
The spirit world is involved in every aspect of their lives. Since sickness is a very familiar aspect of life, shamans are constantly seeking healing for their people. Even if the cause was magic and the narrator did not specify that the spiritual realm was involved, by implication spirits or impersonal spiritual forces are involved. Spirits were manipulated to cause sickness, such as the Hesiweh and Mahokute’s magic they performed on each other, and they were manipulated to cure sickness, as Hesiweh and Mahokute healed each other. Kariama’s healing can also be attributed to this, since they were looking for tracks of the enemy who may have caused the sickness, and they called demons to come and give a diagnosis. Though this cannot be confirmed if these actions were from the spirit world or if they were created reality, it is for sure that this system of beliefs is demonic oppression meant to keep the people in fear of spirits and in bondage to serving demons.
In order to interact with the spirit world for survival, they must contact the spirits by the drug-enhanced ritual. When Hesiweh was indwelt by the rainbow demon, he diagnosed Kariama’s sickness, and said she would be cured when a lump was cut away and the evil spirit was killed. Warfare exists very much in the spirit world as it does in the physical world.
The Yanomami’s Reason for Drinking Dead People’s Powdered Bones
The bones of the dead were ground up and placed in a banana stew. The rest of the ashes are kept in gourds. Only the people close to the dead person may drink the stew, starting with the oldest surviving relative. The concept of ground burial is horrifying to the Yanomami; they believe the dead would be happier by dwelling in the living instead of being buried in barren ground.
By implication, one may deduce that the deceased, if unhappy, may punish those who are alive in some way. This is a common animistic belief. Hesiweh urges his people at the death of Tarumi and her baby to be sure to cry loudly so that the dead believe that the living care for them. There is an element of fear that the dead may not be pleased if the living does not follow their particular rituals.
Numerous passages from the Old Testament respond to this belief. The first obvious one is in Genesis 3:19: “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Their response to death is to avoid the reality of death, and this practice may be a coping strategy to avoid the sorrow death brings. They may believe the dead are not truly lost forever if they are not buried (not mentioning the names of the dead may also be a coping strategy as to not bring up sad memories). The rest of the torah also has various statements about the dead. Touching a corpse makes one unclean (Leviticus 21:11). The talking to the dead through mediums was forbidden (Leviticus 20:27). In the neviim, the results of communicating with the dead anger the Lord and have consequences (1 Samuel 28; Isaiah 8:19).
The New Testament also has a lot to say about the dead, specifically the resurrection of the dead. All flesh, both the saved and the unsaved, will face the resurrection. Whether by the Yanomami’s method of handling the dead, by cremation, or by burial, the Lord will raise them all up (1 Corinthians 15:12ff; Revelation 20:5, 13, cf. Daniel 12:2). It is only by trusting in Jesus Christ alone that one can be saved from eternal destruction, and be raised into eternal life (John 5:24).
The Role and Responsibility of the Shaman
The shamans are the most important people in the village. In Hesiweh’s village, his son Rapeweh was considered the most important man. The shamans are responsible for intervening in the spirit world on behalf of the living.
Spirits causes all things, especially sickness and other misfortunes. Enemy shamans’ goading of the spirit world allegedly causes a lot of these misfortunes. After taking the ritualistic drugs, Hesiweh, who is the chief shaman of his village, had an encounter with demons to diagnose Kariama’s illness. When Hesiweh and Mahokute had manipulated spirits against each other, they also healed each other. The causing and healing of sickness was the job of the shaman.
Since this power allegedly belonged to the shaman, the chief shaman of the village seemed to play the most important role of leadership. Chief shaman Hesiweh, in a ritualistic duel of words, had to convince the other village chief shaman Mahokute to come to the feast of reconciliation through particular dress, rhetoric, gestures, and movements, all of which had particular meanings.
The story of the Hesiweh and his village is a sad one. As chief shaman, he left a great void in the village when he died. Much of their beliefs about the world are very contrary to the word of God. Spirits cannot cause good, and shamans cannot solve the people’s problems. Spirits are not the cause of sickness as a rule; western diseases have ravaged this people. The dead do not seek comfort in human beings. The only hope for the Yanomami, as with all of humankind, is found in Jesus Christ. He alone is the great healer, the One who reconciles, and is the resurrection and the life.
Source
Warriors of the Amazon. Videocassette. Nova. 1996.