"Blood Revenge and Warfare in a Tribal Population" by Chagnon

1. Universally, every culture has rules or laws against killing and the Yanomamo are no exception. "Although there are customs and general rules about proper behavior, individuals violate them regularly when it seems in their interests to do so. When conflicts emerge each individual must rely on his own skills and coercive abilities and the support of his close kin" (P. 985-986). In comparing the Yanomamo with Western cultures we see a vast difference in their laws an rules against killing. For example, in the United States it it illegal to murder (unless it's self defense), while the Yanomamo may do as they please as long as it is in their best interests to do. However, you can make the comparison that the U.S.'s self defense exception is in our 'best interest'. However, the Yanomamo still violate their rules and laws against killing more and without pause due to the fact that there are no repercussions, where as in the U.S., being tried for murder may get you the death penalty or life in prison if you are found guilty.
2. The Yanomamo are unique in the sense that they have 'revenge killings'. "The most common explanation given for raids (warfare) is revenge for a previous killing, and the most common explanation for the initial cause of the fighting is 'women'" (P. 986). Therefore, revenge killings are associated with the death of a kin, however, the death does not have to be from a raid by an enemy village but may be "...sought for the deaths of individuals who are alleged to have die as a consequence of harmful magic practiced by shamans in enemy villages" (p. 987). As well, due to the fact that "Few deaths are considered natural", revenge killings can be started even when a relative is simply ill (P. 987).
3. Revenge killings are dangerous for those who take part, however, by obtaining Unokais you gain stature and prestige when you go into another raid. The benefits of becoming a Unokais are having higher reproductive success, high mortality rate, different skills, athleticism, and other factors.. As well, you may become Headmen, which is "The leader of the largest descent group..." and this status allows you several wives and to have many children and your village will soon become full of your close kin. On the other hand, the benefits of not being a Unokais are nothing compared to that of being an Unokais unless that man wants to stay away from violence as much as possible for some reason. Due to all the benefits, I believe most of the men choose to be Unokais instead of not due to the prestige you receive as well as filling your village with your kin and not anyone else's, as well as for the reasons stated above.
4. Revenge killings and their affect on:
1. Political Structure: "Each descent group has one or more patas who are the political leaders of that group", all these leaders are the very individuals who decide whether killings are revenge or not (P. 988). As well, due to the fact that these leaders are in charge of their descent group, when there is a revenge killing in their village, then one of their kin would have been killed, which means it is more likely a revenge killing will be put against the enemy for killing the leaders (most likely the Headman's) close kin.
2. Social Status/Social Organization: "Unokais: Those who kill" are men who are highly ranked for their killings and although most of them have only killed once, the more you kill or the style in which you kill, will earn you status within the village (P. 987). Therefore, the men who decide whether or not to raid are the ones who do the raiding, which will have it's pros and cons but rarely would they raid unless it was necessary to retaliate against an enemy without a cause.
3. Kinship: In time the males in each village will slowly become more and more related to each other and not everyone stays within the village, but may move to a neighboring one or create a new village. "A war between their new group and old one puts individuals in an ambiguous position. Such men often refuse to participate in raids against the group whence they fissioned, pointing out that they wish their close kin no harm" (P. 988).
4. Marriage & Reproduction: The Headman is the "...are usually polygynous, and over a lifetime a successful man may have had up to a dozen or more wives, but rarely more than six wives simultaneously. One result is the some men have many children" (P. 988). Both the Headman and the Unokais's have a very high reproductive success, which means most of the Headmen and political leaders will be Unokais'.
5. Although most people believe killing another being is wrong, we still need laws and rules against it due the fact that 'killing' can be justified for different reasons, for different cultures, and on different circumstances. I believe killing another being is wrong and there should be no exceptions but because there are exceptions is why we need a law against it. Many good examples come from the U.S. with other cultures immigrating here and bringing their culture here with them; such as Muslim's performing honor killings. To the U.S. killing your child because their behavior is not to your standards because they are misbehaving, etc. is completely absurd and we punish those who perform honor killings. However, Muslim countries still have laws and rules against killings but in certain circumstances it is 'alright to kill'. I believe this is why we need to have a law stating that murder is illegal, period.