Yanomamo: The Fierce People

While Yanomamö: The Fierce People is one of the best-selling and best-recognized anthropology texts, it is also one of the most controversial. The earliest objections to Chagnon’s work arose in 1993 when he was appointed to a presidential commission that had power over Yanomami land rights. Upon his appointment, the backlash from native rights groups, the Catholic Church, the attorney general, and several native tribes caused Chagnon to be permanently expelled from Venezuela and barred from further study of the Yanomami people. Despite Chagnon’s removal, his work remained largely unchallenged in the American anthropological community. Later, in response to both The Fierce People and Chagnon’s subsequent book, Noble Savages: My Life Among Two Dangerous Tribes—The Yanomamö and the Anthropologists (2013), Yanomami spokesperson Davi Kopenawa publicly expressed his disapproval of the anthropologist, criticizing Chagnon’s negative portrayal of the Yanomami people, which focused on their violence and aggression. Kopenawa has asserted that Chagnon’s views contribute to a distorted image of the Yanomami people and perpetuate stereotypes of them as savages. Kopenawa states his belief that Chagnon behaved irresponsibly by spreading information, particularly regarding conflicts and violence within the Yanomami community.

However, the best-known controversy surrounding Chagnon and his work comes from the book titled Darkness in El Dorado: How Scientists and Journalists Devastated the Amazon (2000), which was written by investigative journalist