Remember the Rainforest 1

Home

Expedition Index

Itinerary

Etchings

Maps

Plants

Animals

People / Scenes

Green Girl's Eco Club

Lessons

Free Posters

Authors / Artists

Contact us

Itapicuru

and sailing along the banks of the Itapicuru River, where they form the Parish of Sao Miguel. In the Parish of Trezidelas, on the Itapicuru River,

Bahia, Pernambuco, Piaui, Maranhao

near Aldeias Altas, live Indians of the same name, who may also belong to the same great tribe; they were villagers there with the Jesuits and were kept especially for the manufacture of earthenware pottery. The Manajos (manaxos) seem to live freely in the region beyond the springs of Mearim, on the islands of this river, and between there and the Tocantins; villagers, they are in Vinhais, Maranhao Island, and in the Parishes of Santo Antonio and Sao Felix, in the district of Sao Bento de Pastas Bons. If we give credit to the notions collected on the language of this tribe, already greatly reduced in number, it must also belong to the nation of the Tupinambas. All of these civilized Indians amount to at most 9,000 souls, which, compared to the ancient population, is extremely little and is explained by the terrible devastation of mumps and other diseases imported from Europe. The number of the uncivilized Indians, who are so far without dispositions for the quiet city life, always observed with suspicion by the settlers, is much larger; it was evaluated, perhaps exaggeratedly, by Francisco de Paula Ribeiro, at 80,000.

In Maranho they designate, in general, the free Indians of their province with the names of Timbiras, Gamelas, Bus, Chavantes, and Cupinharos; but to what extent the different or related tribes are designated by these names, it is more difficult to discover, for they are all similar in customs and hostile sentiments against the settlers. and in the mouth of the people, beyond these names, in part collective designations, others exist, probably referring only to the family or distinction of tribes. Attempts to promote understanding, by force or goodwill on the part of Brazilians have all failed; even the existing indigenous settlements, such as the Gamelas, in Cajari or Sao Jose de Penalva (from 1785), were abandoned. To know something, therefore, about the customs, uses, language, and kinship of these children of the jungles, one can only learn during wars, which are undertaken from time to time, in order to discourage them from raids against isolated farms, or when some hordes voluntarily appear among Brazilians.

Portuguese vs Indians

Timbiras are called themselves, in their own language, by names that end in "eras", and are classified by the settlers into three hordes: woody Timbiras, Thin-cinnamon Timbiras and Pierced-mouth Timbiras. The former, called in their own language Sacamecras, inhabit the thick virgin forests between the Rivers of the Ferry and Itapicuru, where even the boldness of white men does not risk to penetrate. From the Thin cinnamon Timbiras or Corumecras, it seems that wandering countless bands exist, between the Alto Mearim, Alpercatas and Itapicuru Rivers,

285