Pindobuçu

With the death of Cunhambebe, the one who takes the place of influence during the period of greatest French presence in Guanabara is a morubixaba named Pindobuçu. It seems he was already somewhat older than the others, and for that reason was respected by all the other chiefs. Gerontocracy, that is, power exercised by elders, was a characteristic of Tupinambá society.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white engraving. In the center is a large palm tree with broad leaves and hanging fruits. On the left, a man holds a sword and looks toward the palm tree. Behind him, two women are seated, talking. On the right, another man lies on a bench, apparently resting. Above the palm tree is the text "LES SINGULARITEZ".

Its name means "Great Palm Tree," Pindo+(b)usu, or as Anchieta wrote, "the great palm leaf." Essential for the construction of malocas, as well as for other uses, the palm tree was a highly regarded tree among the indigenous people and of great importance to the life of the Tupis. Such a name conveyed power, commanded respect and wisdom, traits typical of elder chieftains and decisive for their leadership status.

Only Pindobuçu and Cunhambebe are mentioned by the French friar André Thevet in his writings about the experience of Antarctic France, from which their importance can be inferred. Thevet suggests that Pindobuçu was an important ally, the right-hand man of the French captain Nicolas Villegagnon. He is said to have been one of the main leaders who helped the French settlers establish themselves with supplies and provisions, in addition to having provided men for the construction of Forte Coligny.

The fever epidemic that struck Guanabara Bay after the arrival of hundreds of Frenchmen in 1555 also nearly killed Pindobuçu. Upon learning that their ally was ill, Villegagnon and Thevet went to visit him in his village: “Having gone to visit another indigenous chief named Pindahoufou and finding him in his hammock stricken with a stubborn fever”. The chief asked the French friar about the illness and the mysteries of God. Pindobuçu wanted to know what happened to the souls of the maires (Frenchmen) after death, to which Thevet replied that they went to be with Tupã. Thevet's answer attributes to Tupã the meaning of God. But, as is known, for the Tupinambás, Tupã was a spirit of nature who ruled over rain and thunder. Resigned, Pindobuçu asks the Frenchman to intercede for his life: “Come here: I have heard your fine words about Tupã. You say he can do anything. Speak to him on my behalf. Ask him to cure me. If I recover, I will give you many wonderful gifts. I will wear clothes, let my beard grow, and honor Tupã just as you do”.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white engraving. It shows an island with several mountains and dense vegetation. On the left, there is a ship floating on the sea. In the center, there is a small village with huts and people walking about. On the right, there is another mountain and a larger ship sailing. At the top, it reads "Riviere de Ganabara" and "Isle Henri".

Perhaps the presence of Frenchmen by his side at that moment somehow helped Pindobuçu cope with the illness. It is possible that the French took care of the indigenous leader, since, even though he was older, he pulled through and recovered after a few days. “Senhor de Villegagnon decided to baptize him and keep him there with him.” That is, in the fort, and in a prominent position among the chiefs of Rio de Janeiro who lived alongside the Normans.

Based on this information from Thevet, it is possible to believe that Pindobuçu and his group of warriors actively participated in the events of the time. From the expulsion of the maracajás from Ilha do Governador, where Pindobuçu and his son Paranapucu appear as a reference for new villages in the French lists, to the defense of the French fort against the Portuguese troops of Mem de Sá in 1560. After those years, Pindobuçu's men would still have taken part in the attacks against the captaincies of Espírito Santo and São Vicente, and, in particular, against the village of Piratininga, in 1562.

In accounts of the peace agreements made with the Tupinambá at Iperoig (present-day Ubatuba) in the year 1563, the Jesuit José de Anchieta provides more solid information about this Carioca morubixaba. The first to arrive at the place where the priests were staying was none other than Pindobuçu, accompanied by a retinue of two canoes coming from Rio de Janeiro. In one of them, "there came a great chief from the same village we were in, who was called Pindobuçú". The first morubixaba to arrive at Iperoig to speak with the priests was Pindoba Grande, right-hand man of Villegagnon's Frenchmen, alive and still holding a position of leadership among the Tupinambá of both the present-day Costa Verde and the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Image description: This is a color illustration, possibly a historical engraving or painting. The scene shows three human figures in a setting that appears to be a boat. On the left side, there is a nude figure standing, holding a bow and arrow. In the center, a seated figure is covered with a blue and yellow cloth. On the right, another figure is seated in a boat, wearing green and yellow clothing, with a blue hat. At the front of the boat, there is a wooden container with water.

In addition to maintaining a taba in the interior of Guanabara and another prominent one on the former island of Maracajás, Pindobuçu commanded operations by other villages, certainly of relatives, near Ubatuba, on the border with the Portuguese enemies. One clue that leads to the original location of his taba in Rio de Janeiro before the territorial conquests in the battles of Paranapuã lies in the fact that an old Tupinambá peabiru, which ran from the coast of Bonsucesso to the tabas of the interior, such as Sapopema and Takuarusutyba, remained for a few decades under the Portuguese toponymy of the old "caminho de Pindobuçu ou Pindelo."

Aware of the moment they were living through after the destruction of the Forte Coligny, Pindobuçu sensed that this was an opportunity to try to come to an understanding with the Portuguese. After a brief conversation, he expressed to the priests "great pleasure at the peace, saying that he had long desired it, and that he wanted it to last forever." From that moment on, Pindobuçu began to defend the Jesuits from other chiefs who showed up intent on killing them.

With great difficulty, imposing his status of morubixaba-uasú, Pindoba Grande protected the priests' lives and ended up becoming the greatest architect in convincing Aimberê to accept the "truce" that those religious men proposed in the name of the Portuguese.

Pindobuçu affectionately addressed Father Anchieta as “son José” and promised him that “even though your people kill all my relatives, who are in your land, I shall not allow them to kill you, because I know well that you speak the truth.” All so that in the end he would ask Anchieta to remember his name during prayers to Tupã: “You see well how I always defend you and speak up for you, so let God look after me and give me a long life.”

We had no further news of Pindobuçu after he accepted peace with the Jesuits in Ubatuba in 1563. Paranapucu, his eldest son, on the other hand, is known to have continued the war. It is with his successor's name that the last Tupinambá resistance battle in Guanabara was marked.

Image description: This is a color illustration depicting three human figures. The main figure faces forward, holding a handful of arrows in the right hand and a bow in the left hand. Beside the figure are two children, one of whom is embracing the main figure's neck. The children have their backs to the viewer. On the ground to the left, there is a plant with green leaves and a yellow fruit. To the right, there are two eggs on a small red plate.

The indigenous and Portuguese troops took three days to tear down the palisades of the so-called "Fortaleza de Paranapucu," protected by large fences and "more than a thousand men of war and much artillery." When the fences were finally brought down by cannon fire, the Portuguese forces invaded "with much effort and greater risk and deaths of some white men." The governor-general made a point of noting that the Tupinambás "defended themselves valiantly." Father Simão de Vasconcellos reports that, after the fences of Paranapucu were breached, the indigenous people there had retreated into a "fortified house, entrenched and moated," and were "placed under siege." They ended up "so hard-pressed" that they all decided to surrender, "parting with life, but not with freedom."

The capitulation of Pindobuçu and the defeat of Paranapucu were decisive for the Portuguese conquest of Guanabara.