The Art of War

While reading chapter three of our Oceanic Art text, I began to compare and contrast the way war is viewed and practiced in different parts of the world. It is my understanding that most Western societies have utilized war for domination, and in most Pacific regions war was used to dominant and secure land, but not at the same level. For instance, Westerners use large military forces to fight wars that can last years, but in Pacific cultures such as the Asmat, war was personal and much smaller in scale. For example, war to the people of the Asmat, consisted of a warrior taking part in a single act of violence to seek vengeance for a fallen ancestor.

Westerners often times associate the word "vengeance" with a negative connotation. For example, revenge is most commonly depicted in fictional stories rather than in real life and can be seen as an illogical way to solve a major conflict. War, to the western world, is about strategies and their effectiveness, and to people of the Asmat, war is about the community and the ceremonies and rituals that take place in the honor of their ancestors. I could go on and on, but I will end my thoughts here.