Tupinamba Indians: A Very Brief History Of Brazil

The modernize approach of religion and traditions of the old African culture now converted into an Afro-Brazilian culture that still has an impact and exists today which is also still celebrated in Brazil. I believe that without slavery, many of the importance of both sides of society selling slaves and buying slaves would not have shaped humanity in the modern world. “Two centuries had seen African and European cultural religious and linguistic habits merging into unique Afro-Brazilian social and religious customs, music, and storytelling (Nellis 62).” The cultural influence of Afro-Brazilians has persistently grew from celebrations like carnaval into a mainstream popular culture. Brazil holds a variety of different ideas, culture and people. These ideas and traditions include musical interests, dancing, different food dishes, literature and art, festivities, and religious practices.

Chapter 8 (Wagley) discusses fieldwork conducted in a small village with Tapirapé Indians in central Brazil. The chapter focused on a man named Champukwi who was a Tapirapé Indian man. Champukwi became a close friend of Wagley and provided him with information regarding Trapirapé culture. Champukwi would frequently visit Wagley’s house and help him with his research. In addition, Wagley and his employee Valentim Gomes took Champukwi on a trip to Furo de Pedra. Champukwi was not accustomed to the culture at Furo de Pedra as it was different in comparison to his. Champukwi became very curious and obtrusive as he would peer into homes of people and sometimes enter uninvited. Additionally, Champukwi told Wagley about village gossip which he would not have told if he was on village grounds. Champukwi’s relationship with Wagley

Due to this, Brazil faced a serious problem with getting recognition of its independence from United States and other European powers. The jaundiced view of Brazil can be seen from Document C which states, “The United States and the main European powers took their time in recognizing Brazilian independence since they wanted to take advantage of the situation to serve their interests,” arises from the fact that the United States delayed the recognition. The reason for the delay was that they were suspicious of the real intentions of the Brazilian monarchic government, not due to their ulterior

Deforestation poses an alarming threat to Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, and it has been a serious concern for over 40 years. For thousands of years, the abundant, valuable resources in the Amazon were familiar only to the indigenous people of the region. In the 1500’s, before European colonization of Brazil, there were an estimated six to nine million individuals part of different cultures that made up a rich Amazonian society (“History”). Surrounded by the luxuriant rainforest and its natural resources, these indigenous tribes were able to thrive by utilizing the resources without destroying their habitat. After European emigration, the government of Brazil exploited the value of the Amazon’s resources in the twentieth century. In the 1970’s, the Brazilian government discovered the “untapped source of boundless potential” hiding in the Amazon and began using incentives to persuade settlers to develop its resources (Casey). Once economists realized the importance of the resources found within the rainforest, European pioneers set out to transform the Amazon into their home. By endorsing colonization, the government could not only boost the country’s economy, but also gain control over Brazil’s vast territory. The government supported migration to the rainforest and campaigned for the construction of infrastructure (“History”). In concurrence, the development of roads such as the Trans-Amazonian Highway, a 2,000 mile road built in 1972, granted people and machinery entrance to

In history, what often occurred was that influential individuals who occupied the middle ground during exploration were forgotten. These third-party individuals are called go-betweens and they helped Europeans connect with different cultural groups. The 16th century brought enormous change by the Portuguese to the indigenous groups who lived in Brazil. The colonization of Brazil owes its success to transactional, representational, and physical/biological go-betweens. The book, Go-betweens and the Colonization of Brazil, written by Alida Metcalf explores the roles of these go-betweens and their impact.

When Cabral landed in Brazil he saw the potential and resources the land had to offer. He was welcomed with open

The origin of Afro Brazilian religions is traced back to the Atlantic slave trade that took place in the 16th century . Portuguese people captured individuals from Bantu tribes and the other West African communities. The slave trade involved the transfer of these people to Brazil, where they were sold as slaves. The interaction of slaves from different cultural and religious backgrounds led to the development of the Afro Brazilian religions that consequently spread all over Brazil. The religions did not; however, develop at once since they faced opposition from the then government that recognized the Roman Catholic as the only religion in Brazil. Attempts by Africans to worship in their own culture were counteracted until in 1824 when the

Much like the U.S., Brazilian culture is extremely diverse. Brazil’s current population of 190 million represents various nationalities from European to African (Country Facts). Brazil has an extremely diverse culture with some common pervasive threads that grouped together give Brazil a national identity.

The lack of people in Brazil and the “new” infrastructure was very puzzling for the Brazilians. They did not need change, and their economy was more productive before the Portuguese then after. The Brazilian civilization did not and could not recover from the Portuguese invasion. Today, Brazil is riddled with crime and slavery.

The majority of the population in Brazil is predominantly Pretos and Pardos; there are very few “white” Brazilians in Brazil. Pretos are people who a very dark skinned, “black”. Pardos are considered as people who are a little bit lighter, “brown”. Though there are few “whites” in Brazil, “white” Brazilians still feel they are superior and still have a control over Brazil.

In contrast to the independence movements of Spanish Latin America, Brazilian independence came simply and peacefully. The Portuguese royal family took refuge in Brazil in 1807. This transformed Rio de Janiero into a court city. The prince regent Joao addressed complaints of the locals that were similar to those of the Spanish Creoles. He made Brazil a kingdom in 1815. Soon, Brazil was more prosperous than Portugal. In 1820, a revolution occurred in Portugal and its leaders demanded that Joao's return to Portugal and Brazil's return to colonial status. Joao, who became

Brazilwood was a key product for Portuguese trade. But the focus on timber would soon change. Cash crops in the form of sugar cane production became the focus. Slavery was needed for the growing of sugar cane and replaced the unsuccessful usage of native people for labor. “Regular slave trade between Brazil and Africa was begun in the 1550s as a temporary measure to replace the Indians decimated by war and disease, but it lasted for over 300 years, and the institution of slavery persisted until 1889, Brazil being the last country of the American hemisphere to abolish it.” The agricultural focus of sugar cane changed to coffee bean production in the late 19th century. As coffee began to take off, slavery was abolished. With the influx of Africans halted, foreign immigration was promoted. This would have a profound effect on the societal make-up of the colony. Mass migrations were already occurring as the Portuguese had established their minute South American empire. Between 1884 and 1920 three million immigrants, mainly Italian, entered the country. Portuguese, Germans, Italians, Spanish, Britons, the descendants of African slaves and the products of racial mixtures of Brazilian Indians, Europeans, and Africans would be the kin of those who football would become entrenched within.

The beginning phase of the economic boom in Brazil was in 1500. The first exported item that brought outside interest was Brazilian wood. Mainly, it was logged and exported to Northern Europe for the purpose of creating red dye for textiles.

In 1500's the Portuguese, led by explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral, arrived in Brazil. One of the first measures taken by the new arrivals was the conquering of the local population, the Brazilian Indians, in order to allow the Portuguese slave labor (for sugarcane and cotton). The experience with the Indians was a failure. The Indians quickly died in captivity or fled to their nearby homes. The Portuguese then began to

During the colonial period, from 1500 till 1822, the Portuguese did not promoted their own language in Brazil, in contrast to the French and British colonisers. The French were single minded in the prosecution of their language and they were consicious of a ‘civilizing mission’ (Phillipson 111). Whereas the Portuguese main goals were not related to missionary or civilizing mission, they were primarily interested in wealth and resources. At first they were not planning to actually live in Brazil, therefore language policy was not their first concern. However this changed and more white, Portuguese men settled down in Brazil and due to the lack of European women, married the local women. In present Brazil 38.5% of the population is mulatto (CIA World Factbook), which is a mixture of black and white, as a result of these mixed marriages. The new ‘mulatto’ generation mainly learned to speak the language of the Tupinambá tribe, who were living along the Atlantic Coast