The savage male :: Four levels

Summary :

This is an Anthropology written by Marvin Harris which shows the relationship between male chauvinism and welfare by examining the life styles of a specific group of primitive  military sexist known as Yanomamo. They are the group of 10000 American Indian tribesman who inhabit the Brazil Venezuela border. The Yanomamo have been labeled as the “Fierce people” by their principal ethnographer, Napoleon chagon of Pennsylvania state university. They are one of the most aggressive, warlike and male oriented societies in the world.

         In their cultures by the time a typical Yanomamo male reaches maturity, he is covered with the wounds and none Yanomamo woman escapes the brutal tutelage of the typical hot tempered, drug-taking Yanomamo warrior husband. A favorite means of buying one’s wife is to yank on the sticks of cane that women wear through their prorced ear lobes. An irrated husband may yank so hard that the lobe is torn open. In case of anger ness, the husband may beat his wife with a piece of firewood, take a swing at her with his machete or glowing stick of wood against her arm. Similarly marriage is based on exchange of sister. An important aspect of Yanomamo male supremacy is the monopoly which males exercise over the use of hallucinogenic drugs.

      The Yanomamo people have the belief that Kanabroma legs become pregnant and from left leg came women and from right leg came Famine men. Like other male dominated cultures, the Yanomamo think menstrual blood is evil and dangerous and at that period women are locked up inside a specially constructed bamboo cage and force her to go without food. Yanomamo woman expect to be man handled by their husband and that they measure their status as wives by the frequency of minor beatings their husbands give them. Similarly guest are being killed after a super meal and they prove their bravery. Therefore we can say that there is completely unproved violence against women.

Interpretation-

This passage shows the relation between male and female in the male dominated society. The American Indian tribesman also known as Yanomamo believes on the male supremacy. Through this passage the writer presents the views of two different male and female writers who commonly consider the complete violation of women in the fierce group of people. The beatings and sufferings from men are considered as the sing of love for women. The character and body image of the writer shows the complete differentiation from the normal groups of people.