CRUZ DAS almas: a BRAZILIAN VILLAGE — ^PIERSON 



79 



friend of Quim, a villager noted for his hunting, 

 was asked, "What would Quim do if someone 

 harmed his dogf "Listen!" was the immediate 

 reply, "If someone so much as touched a hair of 

 that dog, Quim would kill him." Although per- 

 haps an overstatement, the remark is not uncom- 

 mon. "Don't you know he thinks as much of that 

 dog as of a son?" added another friend. "How 

 many times he has hunted with him !" Owners 

 readily show satisfaction and pride when their 

 dogs are complimented and betray in the manner 

 in which they glance at them the affection they 

 hold. If a dog is missed, the owner at once drops 

 whatever work he may be doing and goes to look 

 for it, inquiring anxiously of each person he meets 

 and not resting until the dog is found, either alive 

 or dead. 



Shortly after the first contact with Europeans, 

 the native inhabitants took over the dog, and he 

 became an important assistant in their daily strug- 

 gle for existence. The presence of proportionately 

 so large a number of dogs in the community per- 

 haps represents, at least in part, the continuance 

 of a cultural pattern handed down from Indian 

 forebears. The hunt was once an extremely im- 

 portant means of providing food for the inhabi- 

 tants and even today it is not negligible in this 

 regard. In the thick tangle of vines and under- 

 brusli of the forest, the dog was an almost indis- 

 pensible aid in tracking down game and in forcing 

 it out of hiding places, and also in orienting the 

 hunter so as to bring him safely through the dense 

 growth, the meantime the dog's sharp senses 

 discovered dangers such as poisonous snakes that 

 lurked along the way. The indispensible character 

 of this assistance is reflected in the common phrase, 

 "to be in the mato without a dog," which is used 

 metaphorically when referring to any virtually 

 insurmountable obstacle. 



Indicative of the personal character of the rela- 

 tionship between a man and his dogs is the fact 

 that every dog, without exception, has a name. 

 Some of these names merely reveal sentimental 

 attachment. Other names, however, symbolize 

 virtues valuable in the hunt or for other purpose, 

 either possessed by the animal in question or desir- 

 able in him, like the following : 

 Name (in Portuguese) English Equivalent 



Alerta Alert. 



Batalha Battle (i. e., a battler). 



Briosa Lively, or Courageous. 



}iamc {in Portuguese) English Equivalent 



Cacique Chief, or Leader. 



Campero Hunter - of - the - Deer - That - Live- 



in-the-Open-Country (reado cam- 

 pero). 



Certeza Certainty (i. e., a sure hunter). 



Combate Combat. 



Cult^lo Humming-bird (i. e., one with quick 



movements). 



Despique Sprightly, or Clever, or Ingenious 



reacts instantly to any challenge). 



Esparto Sprightly, or Clever, or Ingenious 



(the word has several equiva- 

 lents). 



Faisca Flash, or Spark (from its speed and 



nimbleness). 



Farol Lighthouse, or Headlight (1. e., one 



who shows the way, or signals to 

 others the location of game). 



Furao "Penetrator" (i. e., one who opens 



the way into the deepest recesses 

 of the mala). 



Jaguiigo Bandit (fierce assailant). 



Joque Jockey ( from its speed ) . 



Marcante "One-Who-Marks" (two meanings: 



(1) one who keeps indicating 

 where the game is; (2) one who 

 sets the rhythm of barking in the 

 hunt). 



Matero Hunter - of - the - Deer - That - Live- 



in-thQ-Mata) . 



Mirante Turret (i. e., one who spies out game 



at a long distance). 



Noticia News (i. e., the first one to "an- 

 nounce" the presence of game). 



Piloto Pilot. 



Primor "One-V\'ho-Has-Delicacy," or Excel- 

 lence, or Elegance (the word has 

 several equivalents). 



Proviso (Altered form of Improviso: The 



Unexpected or "One-Who-Impro- 

 vises"). 



Rapina Raptor. 



Reiiate Sigiial-of-Alarm (from its habits in 



tlie hunt). 



Rondo (Masculine form of Ronda: Night 



Watchman.) 



Tigre Tiger (from its Strength) . 



Tirano Tyrant (cruel in the hunt). 



Top<^te "Topknot" (a slang phrase for "one 



who is bold, capable of facing 

 anything"). 



Other names commonly used are those of per- 

 sonages or titles which possess prestige (or have 

 possessed it in the past) : Duque (Duke), Lorde 

 (Lord), Sultao (Sultan), Barao (Baron), Na- 

 buco (a prominent nineteenth-century Brazilian 

 politician and statesman), Pery (a famous Indian 

 hero in the Brazilian novel Guarany by Jose de 



