Chapter 5 Summary and Analysis

There are three main reasons alliances form among Yanomamo tribes—feasting, trading, and exchange of women. If tribes are allied only by feasting and trading, there is little chance of warfare, but also weak bonds that mean one tribe may not fully depend on the support of the other in times of need. Tribes that do exchange women are leery, always hoping to gain more women than are ceded. Trust is slow to build and typically begins with feasting and trading.

An item is given in trade but the return item is usually not presented until much later—a reason that visiting continues among the trading allies because one is always owed something by another. With the exception of items brought in from outside, each village is capable of sustaining itself. Only frequent visiting prompts strong alliances and trade...