MC Carol - "Não Foi Cabral" (It Wasn't Cabral). Song released in 2021
The great voyages of discovery increased the traffic of diseases in a kind of microbial unification of the world. Before the 16th century, goiter, dysentery, and mild forms of malaria were the most common ailments among the indigenous people of Guanabara. With the arrival of the white men also came tuberculosis, leprosy, venereal diseases, and “bexigas” – illnesses that left marks on the skin of the infected. One of these, chickenpox, had such an impact among the indigenous people that it is still known today by its name in the native language: catapora (“leaping fire,” in Tupi).
Engraving by Theodore de Bry, 1597 - Brasiliana Itaú Collection
Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving. In the image, we see a group of people in canoes in the foreground, on the left. They are wearing traditional clothing and holding weapons. On the right, there is a large ship with several sails, sailing in the background. In the center, more people are on another, smaller ship. In the background, there is a human figure standing on a rock, observing the scene.Neither traditional knowledge nor the indigenous peoples' immune defenses were able to cope with the unknown viruses. The fact that a single blood type prevailed among the natives (O+) contributed to their high mortality rate. The "pestilential fevers," as they were generically called, disrupted the social organization of the tabas. As in most of the colony, besides affecting the village's productive structure, most of the leaders (morubixabas) of Guanabara, such as the feared Kunhambeba, did not escape this devastating wave.
Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1802-1858. Picturesque journey through Brazil. Fundação Biblioteca Nacional
Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving. The scene depicts an indigenous village with several human figures distributed throughout the image. On the left, there is a large tree and some naked or partially dressed people are talking. In the center, a man dressed in black, possibly a missionary, is interacting with the indigenous people. On the right, two men are working with tools near a bonfire. In the background, there are simple structures and a mountain. The title of the image reads "ALDEA DES TAPUYOS".The disease was seen by the natives as an expression of the power of the god caraíba. This impression, in a way, favored the catechization process – fear as a tool of persuasion. In others, however, this perception caused an even greater rage among the indigenous people against the whites, especially the priests. The suspicion of the missionaries was not entirely wrong. There was the fact that they themselves were carriers of inoculated infections – especially tuberculosis.
Epidemic outbreaks were caused both involuntarily and by the direct action of the Europeans. In 1555, before the founding of the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, the colonizing mission from France, led by Nicolas Villegagnon, brought with it an epidemic now believed to have been smallpox, which resulted in the death of some Frenchmen and thousands of Tupinambás – early allies of the Gauls against the Portuguese. The Portuguese, in turn, also spread diseases among their native collaborators, the Temiminós – inhabitants of present-day Ilha do Governador. On another occasion, according to accounts from English navigators of the time, the brief stop of a Spanish ship at the ports of Rio de Janeiro, in 1599, was enough to trigger an unidentified epidemic that killed three thousand people at the turn of the 17th century.
Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1802-1858. Picturesque journey through Brazil. Fundação Biblioteca Nacional
Image description: This is a black and white engraving depicting a burial in the middle of the forest. On the left side, we see figures sitting and lying on the ground, while in the center and on the right are other individuals standing, some holding objects such as bows and arrows. In the background, there are tall trees with dense foliage. The inscription "ENTERREMENT" is located at the bottom center of the image.Epidemics did not always occur among the natives by misfortune. Antônio Salema, governor of the Southern district – the administrative division of Colonial Brazil headquartered in Rio de Janeiro – decided to exterminate the inhabitants of present-day Ipanema, Lagoa and Leblon in order to build his sugar mill there. He carried out a viral attack, leaving clothes and objects infested with smallpox out in the open. The indigenous people picked up this material and brought it to their village, and the whole settlement fell ill. Given how effective it was – and despite the lack of concrete evidence –, it stands to reason that this tactic was used against the natives throughout the entire colonial period.
