The Tupinambá (Part 1)

Also known as Tamoio or Tamuya, the Tupinambá lived in a coast strip that stretched from the present city of Ubatuba, in the north coast of São Paulo, to Cabo Frio, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. "Tamoio" means grandfather, the oldest, and "Tupinambá" may mean the first, the oldest. The Tupinambá lived mainly in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where a total of 6000 people are estimated. The whole of the Tupinambá nation in this region didn’t exceed 10,000 people. The main features of this people were:  curious, observant, intelligent, aggressive, and open to new technology.

The French friar, Claude d'Abbeville, who had contact with a Tupinambá group in Maranhão, wrote: "I imagined that I would find true ferocious animals, savage and rude men. they are only led by reason, never without knowledge of cause."

This keenness of perception led the chiefs to send a delegation to France to seek help in their fight against the Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro. Not wanting to get involved in the adventure of Villegaignon, marked by religious conflicts, the king of France refused to help them. The indigenous delegation then turned to the merchant class, with which it was able to raise ships and arms. There is little information about this trip. But another, held in 1613, was reported to us by the French Capuchins. The Tupinambá delegation was received by King Louis XIII in the Louvre, where they made a speech in Tupi.

War was another fundamental element of the Tupinambá culture, in which bravery and revenge played important roles and considered a sacred activity, reserved for only a few, according to their age, sex and physical abilities. The bravery and power of a chief was measured by the number of enemies killed. The dead enemy was eaten by the community in a ritual sacrifice. There were various prescriptions for this ceremony. A fearful prisoner was excluded, for weak character could be embodied by those who ingested him. There was, then, a relationship between sacrificial meal, bravery and courage. The captive, in turn, defied his killers, shouting that one day his relatives would avenge him. The greatest desire of a warrior was to be killed by his enemies.

At birth, boys were painted red and black and received jaguar claws and teeth, to become a valiant warrior, and a small bow and arrows, symbols of his bellicose future. Through war adults were a role model for the younger. They helped them grasp knowledge of magical-religious rituals considered essential in male behaviour and success in battle, ensure the rights in the community, such as marriage with several women and exercise of leadership.

As a result of these values, war was a building factor to form the Tupinambá male personality, insofar as it is understood as a fundamental, ennobling, just as it is an element of social articulation, highlights the value and power of each one and allows them to punish enemies. War therefore reverberates actively in the pulse of the sociopsychic development of the community: it transfers out of the group the tensions, locating in the "other" all the causes of the problems faced. Since war can only be practiced with the approval of all, it is also a factor of social unity; during the fight, usually hand-to-hand, the commitment of each one affects all warriors, since it has the clarity that if the enemy is not completely destroyed, his revenge can be fatal. Therefore, it is necessary to join forces to defeat him mortally.

The alliance that the Tupinambá established with the Europeans; Portuguese, French and Dutch; also aimed at fighting against their enemies, the other indigenous peoples.

The extreme curiosity and attraction for the new was a fundamental element of their culture. Little did they know that this openness, which seemed a positive attitude, would contribute to the loss of their identity and integration into the new society.