Napepe - Yanomami ask their blood back

In this video you see interviews with some of the Yanomami people. They are asking back their blood taken in 1968 by Napoleon Chagnon and James Neel in an expedition to Venezuela and Brazil. The video aims to make those working with the Yanomami blood samples think about the rights of the indigenous people and the ethics in medical research while hearing from them that they do want the blood back.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Yanomami
• bioethics
• bioética
• sangue
• Nadja
• Marin

[RobBorofsky]

I am a little puzzled by your comment. It is (1) dramatically overstated in terms of agreed upon facts regarding the Yanomami and (2) I believe based on a shallow reading of Chagnon's own work. Do you realize that the Yanomami were clearly misled when the blood was collected? They were never given medical results that would help them fight the diseases they were facing as was clearly promised. You might look at YANOMAMI: THE FIERCE CONTROVERSY AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT.

[skurski]

Based on my study of the controversy over research among the Yanomami, this video is a good argument for the return of Yanomami blood samples; these requests should be respected. The Public Anthropology website explains the issues.

[apaixonadaist]

the yanomami nation belongs to a country called Brazil...thats why this guy is speeking portuguese ...the brasilians are protecting these indians for centuries...thats why you still can see them alive in the middle of their tribe.We , brasilians, are very proud of our way to keep the nature and different cultures in your nation.You still can find some of these indians in venezuelan territory...but these indians in this videos are from Brazil...they are brasilian indians.

[Eeekxx]

Is the second guy speaking portuguese? Because I can actually understand some of that, and I am definitely not a Yanomani native. Lol

[Cladskine]

It is important that what was once the Yanomami's should continue to be rightfully theirs, land included. Do you hear that Brasilian government?

[MyUnfamous]

@defiythelie Then tell that asshole that alah y there with them, and that they dont need to think as muslims to know that God is there with them.

[defiythelie]

I just ran across a video made by a Muslim calling for the death of all these people because they dont know or accept allah.

[lastpoina]

Avatar shit.

[Roselime1]

@Cicero1988 We agree that human rights are important. We can start from the point of agreeing on something. For whatever reason, Chagnon gained more from his relationship with Yanomami than they did from him. Surely everybody thought they were helping somebody in some way - the Church had it's motives, maybe the corporations found ways to justify it but people got hurt. Blood might not seem important to you, but it is to them apparently. If you see my profile you would understand my POV.

[Cicero1988]

@Roselime1 I also don't want to start a big controversy, just express my point, which is that all this quibbling about possible blood sample controversies, while surely important for many Yanomamo, obscures the big picture -- which is that Chagnon has done far more to help (or try to help, when the Catholic Church, and corporations with their eyes on the rain forest, get in the way) the Yanomamo than hurt them. I really do see your point, but I fear you might be missing the big picture.

[Cicero1988]

@Roselime1 (cont.) Chagnon has been among the most vocal proponents of Yanomamo rights in the most important issues, issues pertaining to the very survival of their various tribes and native culture and way of life. The end of his monograph especially is filled with exhortations to help the Yanomamo preserve their culture against the onslaught of institutions such as much of the Catholic hierarchy there and from Brazilian gold miners. Furthermore, he does care for their welfare.

[Cicero1988]

@Roselime1 With essentially all of the charges of improprieties levied against Chagnon, it seems that most of them are about relatively minor points. Even if the blood samples were acquired through less than completely honest means (or, most likely, there was a cross-cultural miscommunication) this is far less important of an issue than something like Brazilian gold miners defiling Yanomamo lands and killing them -- an issue on which Chagnon expresses deep anger at the Brazilian gold miners.