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Is This War?

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Submitted By HappySalesman
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In the Baliem Valley on the island of New Guinea, there are a group of people called the Dani. Aside from the basic necessities required for them to survive, there is one thing the Dani people do all day, every day, and that is fight. Some have called the endless battles in which the different Dani tribes participate a war, but it is not. What the Dani have would be considered a feud, or a never-ending stream of revenge killings. The Marine Corps defines war as “A violent clash of interests between or among organized groups characterized by the use of military force,” and continues to define the essence of war as “A violent struggle between two hostile, independent, and irreconcilable wills, each trying to impose itself on another.” In the case of the Dani, their battles are occurring purely for revenge, either for the death of a fellow Dani in a previous battle, or the death of one in a raid on a village or settlement. Thus neither side is trying to push their beliefs or way of life onto one another. A feud is defined as “A state of prolonged mutual hostility, typically between two families or communities, characterized by murderous assaults in revenge for previous injuries.” This spells out what occurs between the Dani tribes to a T. Each battle occurs entirely because in a previous battle someone was wounded or killed. In conclusion, the frequent, and almost daily battles that take place within the Baliem Valley is not war, or warfare. It is a simple feud, one that takes place out of a want for revenge as much as a increased level of boredom.

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