THE TERENA AND THE CADUVEO OF SOUTHERN MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL — OBERG 



35 



Brazilians so consider them. To the Brazilians the 

 Terena are Indians. Of what does this Indianism 

 consist? Outwardly there is no great diflference 

 between the Terena and the Brazilian '•caboclo" 

 or mestizo. In physical appearance many people 

 who call themselves Brazilians in Mate Grosso 

 show more color than the Terena, being mulattoes 

 or a mixture of Wliite, Negro, and Indian blood. 

 The writer has met several individuals in Mato 

 Grosso who admit being of pure Indian descent, 

 yet consider themselves Brazilians owing to the 

 fact that they have left their tribe and live in a 

 town as members of a Brazilian community. Ra- 

 cial background and physical appearance, there- 

 fore, are not the bases of Terena Indianism. Most 

 of the old people and all Terena of middle age or 

 younger speak Portuguese, so on this score, too, 

 they can pass as Brazilians. Nor can religion be 

 the basis, for the Terena are all nominally Chris- 

 tians. 



In their economic pursuits the Terena can 

 scarcely, if at all, be distinguished from their 

 "caboclo" neighbors. They live in the same kind 

 of houses, wear the same kinds of clothing, eat the 

 same kinds of food, cultivate their fields in the 

 same way, work for the same fazendas and the 

 same railroad company. At this point it must be 

 remembered that this adjustment is not com- 

 pletely a one-way process. The "caboclos" have, 

 in the course of years, borrowed much from their 

 Indian neighbors. In fact part of the "caboclo" 

 cultural background is Indian. Yet, the "cabo- 

 clos" do not consider themselves as Indians nor 

 do the Terena consider themselves as "caboclos." 



A review of the recent history of the Terena 

 leads to the conclusion that Terena Indianism is 

 based on four conditions : land, legal status, lan- 

 guage, and tradition, all of which are intimately 

 related and will stand or fall together. Without 

 doubt the primary element which maintains Te- 

 rena social unity is the possession of a common 

 teiTitory which excludes non-Indians. If Indian 

 lands had not been established in 1910 it is doubt- 

 ful whether the Terena could have maintained 

 their social cohesion. In all likelihood they would 

 have dispersed, and gradually, through intermar- 

 riage with Brazilians, have lost their tribal 

 identity. The isolation provided by a common 

 territory checked the process of detribalization 



and led to a process of reintegi-ation and social 

 stability. 



Associated with security in land tenure, and as 

 part of the general policy of protection provided 

 by the Brazilian Indian Service, is the special 

 legal status, which the Terena, along with other 

 Indians, enjoy. In all disputes either between the 

 Terena themselves or between a Terena and a 

 Brazilian, cases are tried by the courts of the In- 

 dian Service. In this way Indian rights are pro- 

 tected, particularly in cases where the dispute 

 involves an Indian and a Brazilian. In minor 

 crimes committed within the reservation, the 

 manager of the Post has the right to try cases. 

 These crimes usually consist of petty thefts, fight- 

 ing, and sex crimes involving the pregnancy of 

 unmarried and often under-age girls. Punish- 

 ment consists in the culprit being sent to another 

 reservation for a period of time during which ho 

 has to perform hard labor. It is a common sight 

 when visiting reservations to see a number of these 

 men performing the menial tasks of cleaning the 

 premises, carrying water and wood, and perform- 

 ing other nonspecialized tasks. In cases involving 

 mui'der the Indian is tried either in the regional 

 headquarters of the Indian Service or by a repre- 

 sentative sent by the Indian Service from Rio de 

 Janeiro. The Indian Service has a special penal 

 post in the State of Sao Paulo where Indians of 

 this region serve out their sentences. In addition 

 to the special treatment of crimes, the Indian 

 Service exercises some control over the movements 

 of the Indians in and out of the reservation. Per- 

 mission to leave the reservation has to be obtained 

 from the manager, who thus has a general knowl- 

 edge of the whereabouts of Indians when they are 

 away from the Post. While an Indian is away 

 at work, the manager sees that his house and 

 property are protected and that his cultivated land 

 is not taken by another. If the Indian is in dis- 

 tress and needs money to return to the Post the 

 manager assists him financially. 



The presence of a permanent home and the pro- 

 tection of person and property provided by the 

 Indian Service makes a stable community life 

 possible for the Terena. This group life main- 

 tains the Terena language. In each home the par- 

 ents teach their children to speak Terena. At 

 about 7 years of age they enter the Indian Service 

 or Protestant school where they are taught to 



