Okarantĩ

The great taba of Okarantĩ lay right in the center of the great valley of the Guanabara lowlands, which links the bays of Guanabara and Sepetiba, today located in the West Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. This main village of the Tupinambás had an abundance of water and natural resources, since on one side stood the Maciço da Pedra Branca and, on the other, the Gericinó mountains, an area now known as Serra do Mendanha, right at the point where this valley narrows.

The information about this native locality of Guanabara appears in the lists of villages compiled by the French traveler Jean de Léry, who visited a number of Tupinambá communities in the year 1557. Léry recorded their names and located them according to the shore on which they were found, as well as distinguishing those that lay inland, as is the case of Okarantĩ. In his account, it becomes clear that the destination of his journey from the coast of Guanabara was precisely to visit the one that was “among the largest and most populous in the country,” where he stayed for several days.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white book page. At the top, it reads "HISTOIRE D'VN VOYAGE FAIT EN LA TERRE DU BRESIL, dite Amerique." Below, there is a detailed text about travels and descriptions of local animals, plants, and customs. The title mentions the fifth edition of the book, dedicated to the Princess of Orange. The author is Jean Delery, a native of La Margelle, in Burgundy. The text mentions that it was printed in Geneva, by Jean Vignon, in 1611. There is also a signature in the lower right corner.

Regarding the composition of the name, the word kara (or ocara) was what the Tupinambás called the open area between the malocas of the villages, the yard, the square, the great communal ground for tribal festivals and rituals; as for the suffix tĩ, the most likely hypothesis is that it is a reference to a quality or to the beauty of the place, expressing in its color tone, ting(a) – white, whitish –, a characteristic of the taba. Jean de Léry's original term, Ocarantin, ­points to this meaning more precisely. Under this hypothesis, we would be dealing with a taba of the White Terreiro or the Terreiro Branco, the White Ocara.

When visiting this territory and recording what he saw in his notes, Léry left, as an addendum to his mention of the taba's name, a compliment – incidentally, the Frenchman's only complimentary remark in his entire work – whether for having spent good times there or, more likely, for having been enchanted by the beauty of the place. He said that Okarantĩ was a "beau village"; that is, a beautiful village. Before his eyes, at that moment, lay the splendor of Tupinambá society, the great malocas that could reach 100 meters, arranged around a large square. Streams running along the edge of the community provided fresh water and bathing spots. In the surrounding area, plantations of roots, corn, peanuts, tobacco, pepper, and fruits such as araçá and passion fruit. In the woods and forests there was a variety of game. Paths cut low through the forest by ancestors connected them to the constellation of other kindred tabas throughout the interior and, from these, to those on the coast.

Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving. The image shows a scene with a circular structure surrounded by a high wall made of straw. Inside this structure, there is an open field where four individuals are engaged in an activity that appears to be a fight or a game. On the left, a man is standing, holding a bow and arrow. In the foreground, on the left, three boats are moored on the water. On the right, two men are near the water, one of them lying down while the other stands, holding a long object. In the background, inside the circular structure, there is a raised construction with several openings.

Regarding the location of the Okarantĩ taba, still according to Léry, it is possible to identify in the chronicler's own account that it was located about "10 to 12 leagues" inland from the French fort on what is now Villegagnon island. The French league was equivalent to approximately 4 kilometers. Another account by Léry sheds more light on the value of this distance at that time. He states that the distance between Forte Coligny and the village of Jabebiracica, which we now know existed in the region between present-day Tijuca and the city's port, was only 2 leagues. If we estimate the distance by sea from present-day Villegagnon island, where the French were located in 1557, to this region, we get a straight-line distance of around 8 kilometers. Multiplying the approximately 4 kilometers by the 10 to 12 French leagues of that period (the distance reported by Léry between the Okarantĩ taba and Forte Coligny), the estimated distance between these two locations would be between 40 and 48 kilometers.

Image description: The image is a satellite capture showing an area with dense vegetation and some urbanized areas. On the left side, there is a large green formation that appears to be a mountain or a volcano. Moving toward the right, the vegetation decreases and the terrain becomes flatter, revealing urbanized areas. In the center, there is a location marked as "Tantimã." Further to the right, we find other points marked as "Jacutinga," "Payó," "Sarigué," and "Sapopema." In the lower left corner is the name "Okarantin."

Even with this fragmented picture, it is possible to estimate that Okarantĩ was the largest taba in the most densely populated region of the recôncavo of Guanabara Bay. The Tupinambás would have built a large taba overlooking the entire valley, inhabited alongside at least six other relatively nearby villages (Takûarusutyba, Sapopema, Kotyuá, Tantimã, Payó, and Sarigué). The 40 kilometers of distance described by the French chronicler point to the current region at the intersection of the neighborhoods of Bangu, Santíssimo, and Campo Grande.