Tupinamba

The Tupinambas , francized in Topinamboux , are frightening warlike tribes of Amazonia of origin Tupi, famous for the practice to eat their victims. Pursued, they dispersed in all the country. The majority of the tribes of the Amazon forest were contacted during the fifty last years. There remains still about fifty groups isolated in the forest, they would always practice the Cannibalisme, but a Cannibalisme rituel.
One has several consistent testimonies, dating from, on these people: Hans Staeden, Andre Thevet, Jean de Léry, Yves d' Évreux and Claude d' Abbeville. & 1614

Hans Staeden is a German sailor who lived two years in the middle of a tribe which had collected it after a shipwreck, and which of return in Europe wrote: Naked, Wild and Anthropophagous , account of its captivity. Its testimony inspired a film entitled: Hans Staden of Shine Alberto Pereira (1999)

André Thevet is a catholic monk, who unloaded with Villegagnon in what will be later the bay of Rio de Janeiro. He will describe precisely the habits of the Indians Tupi, the fauna, the Flore in his book the Singularities of France the Antarctic (1557)

Jean de Léry, protesting Pasteur, joined Villegagnon at the request of Jean Calvin. He wrote Histoire of a voyage faict in the ground of Brazil (1578)

Claude d' Abbeville is a missionary Capucin sent to preach the faith in Antarctic France of 1612 with 1615. One owes him the Histoire of the mission of the Capucins fathers in the isle of Maragnan (1614). Yves d' Évreux was sent to its continuation and wrote Svitte of the history of the memorable things plvs aduenuës in Maragan, are years 1613 .

These authors describe in a similar way the life of these Indians, who cultivated mainly the Manioc, and only fought themselves between tribes to make prisoners who would be eaten. The ritual in is described with the article Cannibalisme present encyclopedia. Their accounts inspired the film Which it was good my small French of Nelson Pereira back Santos (1971)

The book of Andre Thevet

After his unloading with the forwarding of Villegagnon, André Thevet will make many stays at the Tupis Indians. He will listen to the accounts which the “ intermediaries will make him”, Indians who spoke French, or marine shipwrecked men collected by the Indians and who lived with them and served interpreters. He will bring back drawings of the natives, but also of fauna and flora, drawings whose graver of Bernard de Poisleduc will draw from wood engraved. He will note their habits and remedies, such as the preparation of the cahouin, the cigars of pétuns or the preparations of hunting.

The book of Jean de Léry

The book of Jean de Léry (1534-1613): History of a voyage faict in the ground of Brazil (1578), Genevese Pasteur, was qualified by Lévi-Strauss masterpiece of the ethnographic literature . This French of origin divided with Brazil life of Tupinambas, Indians naked and anthropophagous, it described the life with an exactitude and a spirit of observation which force indeed, today still, the admiration of the ethnographers. Observer, Léry is also judge and does not fail to make to some digressions against “the rapineurs, carrying the title of Chrétiens, who make here only suck the blood and the marrow of the others” . With the remainder, because our Tupinambas are extremely amazed to see the French and others of the remote countries to take such an amount of sorrow to go to quérir their Arabotan, i.e. wood of Brazil, there was once an old man of them, who on that made me such request: “That wants to say that you others Mairs and Peros (i.e. French and Portuguese), came from so far quérir wood to heat you? there in your country is not? ” With what having answered him that yes, and in great quantity, but not of such kinds that their, nor even of the wood of Brazil, which we do not burn as he thought, but (as themselves used about it to redden their cotton cords, plumages and other things) that ours took it along to make dyeing, it retorted to me suddenly: “Even, but is it necessary some for you so much? ” “Yes I say to him, because (while making him find good) there having such merchant in our country which has more red planks and cloths, and even (always adapting to me to speak to him about the things which were known for him) knives, scissors, mirrors and other goods that you never saw some by-on this side, such only all the wood of Brazil will buy whose several ships are turned over from there charged with your country. ” “Ha, ha, known as my savage, you me tales wonders. ” Then having retained well what I to him had just said, questioning me more in addition to known as: “But this man so much rich of which you speak to me, doesn't he die? ” “If made, if made, I say to him, as well as the others. ” On what, as they are also large speechifiers, and extremely well continue a matter until the end, he asked me derechef: “And when thus it died, with which is all it although it leaves? ” “With his/her children, if it has some, and failing this with his brothers, sisters, or next parents.” “Really, known as at the time my old man (which as you will judge was not by no means oaf), at this hour know I that you other Mairs, (i.e. French), are large fols: because is it necessary for you so much to work to pass the sea (like you say to us having arrived by-on this side), on which you endure so much difficulties, to pile up richnesses or with your children or those which survive after you? isn't the ground which nourished you also sufficient to nourish them? We have (he added) parents and children, which, as you see, we like and cherish: but because we make sure that after our death the ground which nourished us will nourish them, without us to trouble some front, we rest on that” .

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