Napoleon Chagnon, a prominent anthropologist, has studied and chronicled the lives of the Yanomamo people for over 30 years, characterizing them as a “fierce and aggressive people.” While much has been written on the warring natures of Yanomamo communities, Chagnon argues that Yanomami men’s aggression is largely expressed through violence over women, with killers achieving special social status. This article argues that Chagnon’s evidence, fieldwork, and conclusions were not only wrong, but manipulated.
