Yanomamo: The Fierce People

Kaobawä is one of Chagnon’s primary informants among the Yanomami. He is “about 40 years old” (14), and he serves as the headman of the Upper Bisaasi-teri village. His significance within the book stems from his leadership position and personal attributes within the Yanomami cultural context. As a headman, Kaobawä guides the villagers and makes key decisions regarding alliances and warfare. Chagnon characterizes him as an unusually reserved man within the Yanomami. Because Kaobawä established his dominance earlier in life, he is no longer pressured to lead through intimidation and relies instead on the considerable reputation that he has built over the years. However, he is still required to act decisively in order to maintain his position. For example, at one point in the text, his obligations as a kinsman of the deceased Damowä incite him to participate in the raid against Patanowä-teri despite the physical pain he suffers in his lower back and abdomen. During his life, Kaobawä was married several times, although he only had two wives when The Fierce People was written. His first wife, Bahimi, is his favorite, and they have two children together, including the four-year-old Ariwari. He also has a substantial extended family comprising brothers and cousins who support him. He offers to provide Chagnon with genealogical information as long as the anthropologist refrains from asking him about any of his own deceased relatives. Unlike many of the other Yanomami, Kaobawä encourages Chagnon to gather information. He also exhibits a tendency to question the accepted beliefs of his people.

Rerebawä is Chagnon’s other main informant among the Yanomami. He is 22 years old and is an outsider in Upper Bisaasi-teri. Chagnon describes him as a “particularly aggressive young man” (11) who is prone to arrogance and violence. Rerebawä’s main desire is to return to his village of Karohi-teri. His reason for leaving in the first place was due to a scarcity of eligible women in his community, which led him to this village. While he respects Kaobawä, he acts superior to the other villagers and refuses to create a garden. He also believes that Damowä was the only worthwhile member of Monou-teri. During the time frame recounted in The Fierce People, he has one wife and three children, one of whom his wife’s family always keeps with them. Because his wife will not abandon her child, this measure prevents him from taking his wife back to his own village. Although Rerebawä appears to be a typical Yanomami man, Chagnon notes his interest in politics and village alliances. Rerebawä expresses interest in becoming a shaman because he enjoys using the hallucinogens, and his wife is sexually unavailable anyway while breastfeeding their youngest child. He is also noted for having a wicked sense of humor. Rerebawä initially treats Chagnon poorly. However, following a dispute over a woman, the anthropologist uses the opportunity to collect information on the man’s opponent. Over time, this relationship turns into a strong friendship.

Bahimi is the older wife of Kaobawä, with whom she has two children, including Ariwari. She is 35 years old during the time frame recounted in The Fierce People and is notable for being the main woman who makes an appearance in the text. She is pregnant at the time of Chagnon’s presence in the village and gives birth to a son. However, because Ariwari is still nursing, she makes the decision to kill the infant rather than weaning her first son. This decision highlights the harsh realities and survival strategies adopted by the Yanomami. Her relationship with Kaobawä is depicted as being unusually positive by Yanomami standards, although she is still subjected to beatings. She is also one of Kaobawä’s cross-cousins, which is the preferred category of kinship for marriages, according to Chagnon. As the favored wife, she hangs her hammock near Kaobawä’s within his part of the shabono, highlighting her status within the household.

Although Damowä is deceased at the time the book was written, he still plays a pivotal role in the final chapters. He was the headman of Monou-teri, and his habit of seducing other men’s wives led to numerous conflicts, ultimately resulting in a dispute with Patanowä-teri. They killed him in a raid that became the catalyst for war and an ensuing raid that was orchestrated by the Bisaasi-teri and the Monou-teri against the Patanowä-teri. Avenging Damowä’s death becomes imperative to Kaobawä, who is one of Damowä’s brothers under the Yanomami kinship system and is therefore obligated to act. The mourning rituals in Damowä’s honor involve using the gourds containing his ashes and the destruction of his bamboo quiver. Chagnon’s emotional connection to the Yanomami in the aftermath of the mourning reflects a profoundly human response to death. In the book’s broader scope, Damowä’s character allows Chagnon to explore deeper nuances of the various social structures, alliances, and conflicts inherent in Yanomami society. He is simultaneously a leader, a victim, and a catalyst for the continued cycle of revenge and violence.