The Feast

1970, 30 min.

Filmmaker: Timothy Asch

Anthropologist: Napoleon Chagnon

The film follows events of a feast between two Yanomamo villages that had been friendly, then warred against each other, and now are tentatively, nervously, trying to reestablish friendly ties. The film shows many sorts of exchanges, none of which make much economic sense but all of which are part of gift giving. Asch was thinking very explicitly about Marcel Mauss and once said not entirely in jest that with this film he had illustrated The Gift.

Among the Yanamamo, the feast is a total social institution. Perhaps one could say that its main function is to create an alliance between two villages, but it does this by creating many ties between individuals. Food is given, of course, and fine cotton hammocks, bows, arrows, and dogs change hands. In most cases, the exchange is incomplete and must be continued at another feast on another day. The men parade their might in front of their guests, show what powerful allies (or dangerous enemies) they will be. Although no one says so explicitly, one assumes that each side measures the other for possible brother-in-law or son-in-law. Chagnon has pointed out that the goods that are exchanged are usually the special products of one village (Chagnon, 1992: 162). What is interesting here is that even though each village has access to the same raw materials, each specializes in producing only some items such as hammocks, pottery, or bows. This specialization, then, encourages the intervillage trading that leads to alliances and to some degree counters the divisive factors (especially competition between men for women) that tend to split Yanomamo groups. We get a hint of how the Yanomamo themselves talk about these exchanges from the English subtitles of the film. People demand gifts, insist on generosity, and deplore stinginess. Like Americans, the Yanomamo choose to ignore at times the obligatory reciprocal nature of gifts. (Heider 1997:105).

Setup Questions

1. Exactly what is being exchanged?

2. Why all the decorations, weapons, and noisy dancing as the guests enter the village plaza?

3. Chagnon says that the Yanomamo do not count above two. How do they handle larger quantities?

4. Do you see evidence of the extensive use of hallucinogenic drugs?

5. What seems to be the minimal attire for men?

6. What kinds of exchange do you see? Immediate or delayed? Same goods or different?

7. Why are allies necessary and dangerous at the same time?

8. What do Yanomamo leaders do? What power to they have?

9. What role do women play in this ceremony?

10. Look for emotion behavior. How are emotions shown, used, and manipulated?

11. Chagnon says that there is “strong obligation to reciprocate.” How can that be enforced?