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



47 



Although the Terena formerly paraded the ban- 

 ners of Saint John and Saint Anthony they have 

 now restricted themselves to Saint Sebastian. The 

 other saints' days, however, are holidays, during 

 which the Terena play football and dance Bra- 

 zilian dances. 



The presence of both Catholic and Protestant 

 missionary activity among the Terena has intro- 

 duced competition and conflict into the religious 

 picture. Besides competing for converts, the two 

 creeds have led to many tensions among the Terena 

 themselves. The football teams are organized on 

 a religious basis; Catholics and Protestants com- 

 pete for favors from the manager of the Post; 

 the schools separate the children; the entertain- 

 ment of Catholic and Protestant groups differs. 



In addition to this social division and tension, 

 the codes of the two creeds have led to psychologi- 

 cal disturbances. The insistence of the Protes- 

 tants upon a strict code of behavior makes Protes- 

 tantism a more difficult religion to practice than 

 Catholicism. Local observers claim that the 

 Terena professing Protestantism appear frus- 

 trated and unhappy and that they belong to the 

 church through fear rather than through volun- 

 tary desire. The Catholic Terena are permitted 

 to smoke, drink alcohol, and dance. The Protes- 

 tants claim that these activities are sinful and that 

 no sinner can enter the Kingdom of heaven. On 

 the other hand, the Protestant mission provides 

 advantages which the Catholics do not offer. Prot- 

 estant missionaries give free medical assistance, 

 provide free education in the Protestant school, 

 and help the Indians in their economic and per- 

 sonal affairs. 



Cases of transfer from one creed to another are 

 common. A Catholic youth listening to his Prot- 

 estant friends may suddenly become conscious of 

 his sinfulness and will join the Protestant church 

 in search of salvation. A Protestant Terena, on 

 the other hand, who breaks the strict moral code 

 imposed upon him will be punished by having 

 the advantages which the mission provides taken 

 away from him. This often results in his leaving 

 the Protestant church, removing his children from 

 the Protestant scliool, and joining the Catholic 

 church. Adultery and drunkenness on the part of 

 the Terena are the principal causes leading to the 

 abandonment of the F'rotestant church. 



The social tensions arising out of the competitive 

 nature of Catholic and Protestant missionary 

 activity among the Terena is something which 

 both Protestant and Catholic missionaries deplore 

 and something which causes considerable anxiety 

 to the officials of the Brazilian Indian Service. 

 For some time there has been an undei'standing 

 between Catholics, Protestants, and the Brazilian 

 Government that when Protestants go into a new 

 area first the Catholics should stay away from 

 that area. Similarly when the Catholics have 

 opened up a new region in the interior the Prot- 

 estants should remain away. This rule, however, 

 either was not in effect or was not adhered to in 

 the case of the Terena. At present, of course, the 

 rule would be difficult to enforce among the Terena 

 because the two creeds are well entrenched among 

 tlie people. The tension between the F'rotestant 

 and Catliolic sects, however, would decrease if the 

 Catholic and Protestant missionaries ceased in 

 their efforts to convert individuals from one creed 

 to the other and accepted the "status quo." 



Moreover, the presence of shamanism in the re- 

 ligious life of the Terena cannot be forgotten. As 

 matters now stand there appears to be a threefold 

 struggle for allegiance between Catholicism, Prot- 

 estantism, and shamanism. Shamanism, as we 

 saw, IS no longer pure paganism, having adopted 

 elements of Christianity. The outcome of these 

 differences in belief will, it seems, depend on the 

 nature of the future development of Terena social 

 life. If left to themselves in a Catholic countiy 

 the Terena may overcome these differences by even- 

 tually developing a type of Catholicism with a 

 strong admixture of shamanism. 



SECULAR ENTEHTAINMENT 



DANCES AND GAMES 



The important dances of the Terena today are 

 the hohi-shoH-M'pahe (called "bate-pay" by Bra- 

 zilians) and the oheo^koti. Although these 

 dances now reveal Brazilian elements, the Terena 

 consider them as Terena dances and distinguish 

 them from ordinary Brazilian dances, horse races, 

 foot races, and other forms of secular entertain- 

 ment in which they participate on saints' days 

 and public holidays. 



While they lived in the Chaco, the Terena had 

 many dances and games which they still remember, 



