Yanoomami Tribe Religious Beliefs
Cultural and Religious Practices of the Yanomami Tribe
South America is home to one of the most fascinating tribes in the world--the Yanomami, also known as Yanomamu or Yanomamö. Found along the banks of the Amazon, the Yanomami have a rich culture riddled with symbolic rituals and deeply-held beliefs, especially regarding life after death (Jacob 1). The Yanomami are incredibly isolated, however their culture is not immune from being influenced by outside systems (Chen).
The Yanomami practice and uphold many systems and dynamics that we as first-world Americans would consider barbaric, yet are as natural and normal as breathing to them (Chen). For example, the Yanomami are polygamous, with each male having several wives (Chen). Neither …show more content…
When a member of the tribe dies, their body is cremated, and the ashes and bones left over are then placed into a pot (2). After some time, the family members and relatives of the deceased person will mix the ashes and bones with cooked, mashed bananas and then eat it (2). They believed that by consuming the ashes (and in the ashes, the spirit) of their deceased relative, they were releasing his or her soul into freedom (2). If the ashes are not consumed, the Yanomami thought that the soul would forever be stuck between life and death (2). The most hazardous situation to the Yanomami would be if a tribe member was killed, but they could not find the body to burn, meaning the soul would forever be trapped (2). Frank Jacob, in his article titled “They Eat Your Ash to Save Your Soul – Yanomami Death Culture”, compares this theory of the unsaved soul to “the catholic belief in purgatory, where Christians who have committed suicide are captured until they have served a sentence for their sins” …show more content…
The hallucinogen, often referred to as yopo, is blown directly into the nose, which the Yanomami believe gives them incredible spiritual power (Ushiñahua).
Yanomami culture and religion are greatly enhanced by the tribe’s love for myths and stories (Chagnon). Napoleon Chagnon, an anthropologist who has studied the Yanomami extensively, writes that the stories that the tribe tells to each other are well-known and well-adored, saying,
Everybody knows, for example, how Iwäriwä (Caiman Ancestor) was tricked into sharing his fire with everyone – an obscene act made him laugh, and the fire escaped from his mouth. That part of the story cannot be changed. But the description of the act, what gestures and comments he make, his tone of voice, and other details are subject to considerable poetic license, and it is this that entertains and amuses the listener.
South America is home to one of the most fascinating tribes in the world--the Yanomami, also known as Yanomamu or Yanomamö. Found along the banks of the Amazon, the Yanomami have a rich culture riddled with symbolic rituals and deeply-held beliefs, especially regarding life after death (Jacob 1). The Yanomami are incredibly isolated, however their culture is not immune from being influenced by outside systems (Chen).
The Yanomami practice and uphold many systems and dynamics that we as first-world Americans would consider barbaric, yet are as natural and normal as breathing to them (Chen). For example, the Yanomami are polygamous, with each male having several wives (Chen). Neither …show more content…
When a member of the tribe dies, their body is cremated, and the ashes and bones left over are then placed into a pot (2). After some time, the family members and relatives of the deceased person will mix the ashes and bones with cooked, mashed bananas and then eat it (2). They believed that by consuming the ashes (and in the ashes, the spirit) of their deceased relative, they were releasing his or her soul into freedom (2). If the ashes are not consumed, the Yanomami thought that the soul would forever be stuck between life and death (2). The most hazardous situation to the Yanomami would be if a tribe member was killed, but they could not find the body to burn, meaning the soul would forever be trapped (2). Frank Jacob, in his article titled “They Eat Your Ash to Save Your Soul – Yanomami Death Culture”, compares this theory of the unsaved soul to “the catholic belief in purgatory, where Christians who have committed suicide are captured until they have served a sentence for their sins” …show more content…
The hallucinogen, often referred to as yopo, is blown directly into the nose, which the Yanomami believe gives them incredible spiritual power (Ushiñahua).
Yanomami culture and religion are greatly enhanced by the tribe’s love for myths and stories (Chagnon). Napoleon Chagnon, an anthropologist who has studied the Yanomami extensively, writes that the stories that the tribe tells to each other are well-known and well-adored, saying,
Everybody knows, for example, how Iwäriwä (Caiman Ancestor) was tricked into sharing his fire with everyone – an obscene act made him laugh, and the fire escaped from his mouth. That part of the story cannot be changed. But the description of the act, what gestures and comments he make, his tone of voice, and other details are subject to considerable poetic license, and it is this that entertains and amuses the listener.