Des maladies, des biens, des guerres… et l’éthique en question : note sur l’affaire Tierney

Abstract

Since it first started over three years ago, the so-called “Tierney affair” has elicited a spectacular amount of commentary throughout the world. However, the French-speaking public has been poorly informed about the controversy surrounding Darkness in Eldorado and the reactions it provoked. This paper attempts to fill in this gap. Emphasis is placed on one of the book’s central themes: the consequences of the massive introduction of manufactured goods among the Yanomami. The validity of many of Tierney’s assumptions, as well as his questionable use of written sources, will be examined in the light of general Amazonian ethnology, especially regarding such questions as native warfare and the impact of informant retribution. The implications of this controversy for anthropological ethics is also highlighted here.

Keywords

• Tierney
• Yanomami
• Chagnon
• epidemics
• manufactured items
• wars