The Population Dynamics of the Mucajai Yanomama

1st Edition - February 28, 1990
Author: John Early
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 1 6 0 8 2 - 7

The Population Dynamics of the Mucajai Yanomama is an analysis of the Mucajai Yanomama, an Indian foraging/horticultural group located in northern Brazil. The text is an… Read more

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The Population Dynamics of the Mucajai Yanomama is an analysis of the Mucajai Yanomama, an Indian foraging/horticultural group located in northern Brazil. The text is an investigation of the population dynamics of the Yanomama Indians, using methods of quantitative demography and qualitative ethnography. The timeline of text focuses from 1958 to 1987, from their first ever contact with representative of the ""outer world"". The book is divided into four major parts and comprised of a total of 10 chapters. Part One introduces the tribe of the Mucajai Yanomama and discusses their population dynamics, as well as provides an overview of postcontact period of 28 years. Part Two focuses on the demographic issues of the tribe. This part looks into variables, such as fertility, mortality, and migration, to understand factors such as cultural antecedents and age-sex structure. Part Three serves as a synthesis of the demographic variables and their relation to each other. The other issue synthesized in this part of the book is the impact of population structure to the cultural practices of the tribe. Lastly, Part Four provides the conclusion of the study and compares the results to other studies of Yanomama groups. The text is a helpful resource mostly to anthropologists and evolutionary demographers, but can also be a reference to anyone who studies population dynamics.

Illustrations

Tables

Preface

Part One Introduction

1. The Mucajai Yanomama

I. The Research Area

II. The First Permanent Contact

III. Purpose of the Research

IV. Sources of the Mucajai Database

V. Some Editorial Considerations

2. The Population Dynamics of the Precontact Period

I. History of the Yanomama

II. The Mucajai Yanomama

III. Population Dynamics of the Precontact Period

IV. The Population Problem at the Time of Contact

3. Overview of the Postcontact Period, 1958-1987

I. Rate of Growth and Its Components

II. Levels of Analysis and Demographic Indices

III. Terminology

IV. Cultural Factors Responsible for the Demographic Variables and Age-Sex Structure

V. Phases of the Postcontact Period

VI. The Missionaries

Part Two Cultural and Demographic Structures of the Population Variables

4. The Reproductive Period

I. Mating Pattern

II. Female Reproductive Period

III. Types of Birth Intervals and Their Duration

IV. Reproductive Pattern: Age and Overall Levels of Fertility

V. Summary

5. Determination of Age

I. The Anthropological Problem of Age

II. Estimation of Birth Dates from Fertility Histories

III. Evaluation of the Averages as Estimators

IV. Completeness of the Database Used for Fertility Histories

V. Distinctiveness of the Mucajai Database

6. Migration

I. History of Contacts with Other Yanomama Groups in the Postcontact Period

II. Reasons for In-Migration

III. Out-Migration

IV. Net Migration

7. Mortality

I. Infectious Disease

II. Induced Abortion and Infanticide

III. Infant Mortality

IV. Other Causes of Death

V. Yanomama Perception of Cause of Death

VI. Life Expectancy and Group Mortality

Part Three Synthesis

8. How the Population Increased

I. Components of Total Increase

II. Change of Age-Sex Structure of the Population

III. In-Migration as a Key Factor of Change

IV. Raiding and the Sex Ratio

V. Cultural Impact of the Missionaries

VI. Demographic Impact of the Missionaries

VII. Demographic Change without the Missionaries

VIII. Sexual Imbalance in the Precontact Population

IX. Conclusion

9. The Effect of Changed Demographic Structures on Cultural Patterns

I. Change of the Sex Ratio

II. Change of Types of Sexual Unions

III. Mother-in-Law Avoidance

IV. Resources and Population Increase

V. Conclusion

Part Four Conclusion

10. Yanomama Population Dynamics

I. Cultural Patterns

II. Demographic Levels of the Patterns

III. Fertility

IV. Migration

V. Mortality

VI. Stationary or Increasing Population?

VII. Some Implications for Population Research on Small-Scale Anthropological Societies

VIII. The Evolution of Human Population Dynamics

IX. Conclusion

References

Index