Tales of the Yanomami: Daily Life in the Venezuelan Forest

Cambridge Studies in Social Anthropology #55

by Jacques Lizot

The Yanomami Indians, living in the depths of the Venezuelan forest, are one of the most interesting of the world's tribal peoples. Jacques Lizot lived among them for over fifteen years and has written an account which allows them to speak for themselves, in stories told by Yanomami individuals. The tales are revealing in the insights they provide into the Indians' daily experience; their shamanism, magic and sorcery; and conflict and alliance with other villages. The result is a richly evocative and intimate account - illustrated with revealing photographs of the Yanomami's own perceptions of their world - recreating in detail the atmosphere, speech, noises, smells and images of life in the Amazon forest.

Genres: Anthropology, Ethnography, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Joseph Pfeffer]

Jacques Lizot is what's called an emic anthropologist. That means he writes from the point of view of the people he studies, rather than the ethnologist. In this case, he's giving the Yanomami point of view on both everyday life and special rituals. Lizot makes no effort to distinguish what might be true and not true from an observer's, or a westerners, point of view. As far as possible, he takes us inside the world of the Yanomami, letting us relive it as they do, immersing us in their reality. This works about half the time. Chapters on romantic life, how women live, symbolic rituals of violence, ceremonial occasions are gripping. Others bog down and seem disjointed and repetitious, so that the reader hardly even knows what he's reading. This is at least partially because Lizot is not much of a writer. He can get on a roll, but more often he's like a reporter who jots down fragmentary notes then regurgitates them in undigested fashion. Those parts of the book can be deadly. For all that, this English translation of Circle de Feu may have the best inside accounts of Yanomami life yet written. For that reason, it's worth reading if you can make it through the dull parts.

[Sparring]

soooooo brilliant. and french too.