Slavery and Brazil
2
Brazil: From Colony to Democracy
Part I: Discovery and Development
C
overing 3,286,488 square miles—a landmass nearly as large as the United
States—Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. In 2000, Brazil celebrated its five-hundredth birthday. The arrival of the Portuguese in Brazil on April 22, 1500 began a new chapter—both tragic and vibrant—of the country’s history. By 1532, the Portuguese had established their first permanent settlement, and by
1550, the Portuguese crown recognized Brazil as an official part of its empire.
Who are the native Brazilians?
In the fifteenth century, over one hundred distinct language groups populated the region that is now Brazil. The total population of native Brazilians was between three and five million. Anthropologists divide Brazil’s native population into three broad groupings: the
Tupi, the Mundrucú, and the Yanomami. The
Tupi inhabited the coastal regions of Brazil and relied heavily on fishing for sustenance.
The Tupi belong to a larger population of more than forty language groups throughout
Latin America called the Tupi-Guarani. As
compared to the other two groups, the Tupi are thought to have engaged in more war-like activities. Researchers believe that ritual (human and animal) sacrifice was a part of Tupi cultural tradition—a point that would give rise to numerous myths of Indian savagery and cannibalism among Portuguese colonists. Over twenty-one Tupi-Guarani languages are still spoken in Brazil today.
The second group of indigenous people dwelled in the Amazon River basin and are called the Mundrucú. Historians believe that the Mundrucú were primarily peaceful and depended on agriculture. The Mundrucú have been widely studied by anthropologists who have found the group’s ritual life to be based on an elaborate spiritual belief system.
The best-known Amazonian group is the
Yanomami. The Yanomami remain South
America’s largest self-contained tribal group
Brazil: From Colony to Democracy
Part I: Discovery and Development
C
overing 3,286,488 square miles—a landmass nearly as large as the United
States—Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. In 2000, Brazil celebrated its five-hundredth birthday. The arrival of the Portuguese in Brazil on April 22, 1500 began a new chapter—both tragic and vibrant—of the country’s history. By 1532, the Portuguese had established their first permanent settlement, and by
1550, the Portuguese crown recognized Brazil as an official part of its empire.
Who are the native Brazilians?
In the fifteenth century, over one hundred distinct language groups populated the region that is now Brazil. The total population of native Brazilians was between three and five million. Anthropologists divide Brazil’s native population into three broad groupings: the
Tupi, the Mundrucú, and the Yanomami. The
Tupi inhabited the coastal regions of Brazil and relied heavily on fishing for sustenance.
The Tupi belong to a larger population of more than forty language groups throughout
Latin America called the Tupi-Guarani. As
compared to the other two groups, the Tupi are thought to have engaged in more war-like activities. Researchers believe that ritual (human and animal) sacrifice was a part of Tupi cultural tradition—a point that would give rise to numerous myths of Indian savagery and cannibalism among Portuguese colonists. Over twenty-one Tupi-Guarani languages are still spoken in Brazil today.
The second group of indigenous people dwelled in the Amazon River basin and are called the Mundrucú. Historians believe that the Mundrucú were primarily peaceful and depended on agriculture. The Mundrucú have been widely studied by anthropologists who have found the group’s ritual life to be based on an elaborate spiritual belief system.
The best-known Amazonian group is the
Yanomami. The Yanomami remain South
America’s largest self-contained tribal group