ABSTRACT
This chapter describes Bun ethos and affect, emotional and psychological tendencies that relate directly to the production of violence. It discusses Bun views of the world with a particular focus on the structuring of the person, for the process whereby one achieves personhood is seminal in the generation of violence. Marriage exchanges are, then, essentially political processes: they involve ways of manifesting and demonstrating personal power. Violence among kin in Bun must be understood as a part of how the Bun define themselves and achieve personhood. Physical violence is directed at those who frustrate, who challenge, who evade, who attempt to control, and as such it is an inherent part of the political process as well. Because arranging and maintaining marriages are the central ways in which autonomy is achieved but also threatened, more violence occurs in this context than in any other contemporary arena.
