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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 12 



community. Belief in such phenomena as a^sovi- 

 iragoes and the action of other mysterious beings 

 and forces, has a strong grip upon the perception 

 and the imagination of all local persons. As will 

 be evident in the account that follows, elements 

 of folk belief and attitude still permeate other 

 aspects of the communal life. The resolution of 

 practical problems by way of traditional tech- 

 niques handed down from fathers and grand- 

 fathers, all of which were in keeping with con- 

 ventional ideas, attitudes, and beliefs, has made 

 it unnecessary to call out latent abilities and to 

 sharpen and develop intellectual functions. At 

 the same time, this relative lack of problems im- 

 plies a relative lack of frustration and a satisfac- 

 tion with the daily round of life which is accom- 

 panied by a larger measure of personal hai^piness 

 than one ordinarily finds where society and cul- 

 ture are in flux. 



These remarks describe the prevailing situa- 

 tion. Like most generalizations, however, they 

 require certain qualification. Contact with the 

 world outside the community, although limited, 

 apparently has always occurred to some extent. 

 From this community, as has been indicated, set 

 out and (usually) returned handeirante leaders, 

 with their retainers and Indian and (occasionally) 

 African sei-vants and slaves. Other Indians some- 

 times were brought back and settled in the commu- 

 nity. There has always been some moving into 

 the area of persons and families from nearby 

 rural communities. The several tropeiros who 

 once operated out of the village, a few of whom are 

 still living, must have brought in from the outside 

 world at least a few novel ideas, attitudes, and 

 points of view. Contact with other persons within 

 the community, especially on the part of those 

 living in the village, has been relatively constant 

 and intense. Few of the local inhabitants are dull 

 or stolid. On the contrary, there are a number of 

 jDersons whose mental alertness is of a highly de- 

 veloped character. This keenness of mind, how- 

 ever, tends to spend itself in prolonged and emi- 

 nently satisfying conversation — the prosa as it is 

 called locally — rather than in attacking system- 

 atically and effectively the problems that are now, 

 especially with the impingement of the metropoli- 

 tan market upon the community, beginning to 

 emerge (see, for example. Decline of Agriculture, 

 p. 71). Some skepticism has appeared and would 



seem to be growing. There is also an occasional 

 case of personal disorganization. ( See Social Dis- 

 organization, p. 218.) 



The inauguration of bus transportation, which 

 occurred during the period in which the commu- 

 nity was under observation,^^ obviously will con- 

 siderably increase contact with the outside world. 

 As has been indicated, this occurrence was the cul- 

 mination of an effort on the part of a village leader 

 who little by little had convinced several other 

 men to join him in the undertaking. Most of the 

 local inhabitants had been quite skeptical of any 

 positive result ever coming from these efforts. 

 They recalled several times in the past when they 

 had been disillusioned with reference to similar 

 hopes as the preelection promises of politicians 

 produced nothing tangible. Remarks like the fol- 

 lowing were commonly heard: "They say a jar- 

 dineira ^^' will come here ; if it does, it will be well. 

 But qua ! it's only talk." 



The energy and persistence of this village leader, 

 however, gradually dispelled doubts. As each new 

 associate agreed to join him, or other step in the 

 enterprise actually was taken, his comments to 

 villagers were in such tones of positive conviction 

 that there began to develop a rather general inter- 

 est in the undertaking and this interest eventually 

 grew to the point where it came largely to dominate 

 the thinking and conversation of local inhabitants. 

 What had begun as the initiative of an individual 

 in response to a felt need, now began to take on 

 at least something of the character of a collective 

 act. Individual attitudes toward the undertaking 

 became shared attitudes. In spite of an approach- 

 ing election and the absorption in politics to which 

 the local inhabitants ordinarily become subjected 

 at such times,i^« the "coming of the jardineira^'' 

 as it was called, became a subject of conversa- 

 tion, even more than the candidates for public 

 office, every time a villager or farmer met an ac- 

 quaintance. "We used to get all excited over elec- 

 tions," remarked a farmer, "but we're learning that 

 you can't get a shirt from politics. The graudos 

 (big shots) remember us on the day before election, 

 but that's the only time they ever think of us. 

 If we hadn't made an effort ourselves, if it hadn't 

 been for us arranging the money and fixing up 



iM See Tr.nnsportation, p. 95 ; also plato 14, e. 

 "" Colloquial expression for "bus." 

 '" See Political Behavior, p. 184. 



