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Case Study: The Yanomami
There is an intrinsic power dynamic in ethnographic field work between the researcher and the subject. This can be seen in the research of the Yanomami, an Amazonian indigenous group that inhabit numerous separate villages in Venezuela and Brazil which have been subject to a multiplicity of Western anthropological studies since the 20th Century. The work of Napoleon Chagnon are the most publicised, yet not without controversy. Chagnon was accused of not practicing cultural relativism: in his writings he portrayed the group as particularly violent, perpetuating the primitive savage stereotype of indigenous cultures. His methods of ethnographic field work were also criticised, as anthropologist Marshall Sahlins argued that trading of steel weaponry for ethnographic information with the Yanomami helped to escalate violence between villages. The power held by researchers over their subjects include the ability to represent their culture to the world, the capacity for exploitation, and the power of interference.

Modern Day
Although anthropology has shifted focus away from studying the Other in more recent years, there is still an issue of power even when studying other groups. Firstly, there is the idea that the anthropological "gaze" is voyeuristic, and that it doesn't allow for an indigenous voice. This issue is not agreed upon