Function of Violence

In Western cultures, killing another human being has dire consequences, often leading to imprisonment or a death sentence. In Yanomamo societies, the murder or death of another will often lead to blood revenge, or raids. In every society, there are rules and regulations, and violation of these rules could be punishable in various ways. But murder is a universal no-no, and punishment will always entail. The blood revenge goes like this: Yanomamo societies are very owe, and their political system is based off of kinship. Everyone in each community is related to each other in some way and all lineage is through the males of the family. The man with the most relatives the can trace back to him is made the headman of the community. When someone dies or is killed, it is the headman's job to decide if he wants to pursue loos revenge or not. There are many reasons why someone would be murdered within the many Yanomamo tribes. The main reason is women. Either infidelity, or jealousy, or flirtation with another mans wife... These are all considered valid reasons to be murdered. But just because it's a value reason doesn't mean it's acceptable. Kinship is extremely important to the Yanomamo people's, and killing someone's Kin is reason to be killed yourself. When a Yanomamo kills another person, the must declare themselves as an unokai. They have to go through an elaborate process and "cleanse" themselves so as to not be haunted by the spirit of the person they just killed. It cod be very beneficial to become an unokai. It is statistically proven that unokai have larger families, more wives, more money, and more offspring. Generally, unokai have more political power. This is because the unokai are seen as tough and ferocious, not someone to mess around with. If a tribe does not pursue blood revenge, they are regarded as weak and are often the targets for more killings. If a tribe has many unokais, not many of their members will be killed for fear of blood revenge being seeked. A man might choose to become an unokai to protect his kin and obtain power. Unokais have more wives, and the man with most wives often becomes headman. However, many men chicken out when on a raid to the village they want to seek revenge on, because they do not want to put their kin or themselves in danger. If no one is ok with murder, why do we still haveaws against it? Because, even if no one is ok with it doesn't mean they wouldn't do it. The yanomamos do it partly to maintain power, and they don't have to like doing it. We have laws to prevent eventhis from happening.