CRUZ DAS almas: a BRAZILIAN VILLAGE^ — PIERSON 



135 



A woman is a creature similar to a man. But she is 

 generally weaker and more often mistaken. She is 

 usually more violent when angry; but she shows more 

 pity when someone is suffering. All this is the result of 

 her weak nature and it is for this reason that she is more 

 easily dominated. A good woman is obedient, humble, 

 hard working, gentle, affectionate, and faithful. A woman 

 who does not have these qualities cannot be a good woman, 

 no matter what other qualities she may have. 



A woman is generally weaker than a man in all ways, 

 in mind, in strength, in everything. A good woman is one 

 who takes care of everything about the house ; who cooks 

 and washes and irons the clothes. In fact, she does every- 

 thing that is needed to be done. And she does nothing 

 to make her husband discontented. 



A woman usually is a weaker creature than a man. 

 When she is mad, she Is apt to say everything that comes 

 Into her head. She doesn't make any allowance for any- 

 thing and she offends people without knowing it. They 

 are not all alike, though. A few are calm and think 

 before they speak. A good woman obeys her husband 

 and does everything necessary to live happily with him, 

 in peace and harmony. 



In all matters the woman is subject to her hus- 

 band's wishes and is expected to be obedient and 

 submissive. Obedience is a cardinal virtue uni- 

 versally exacted by the mores and concurred in, 

 almost without exception, by the women. 



"The men say that women aren't worth any- 

 thing," remarked a woman in the village. "All 

 the men say that. And the women usually agree 

 with them." "My sister," remarked a farm 

 woman, "always used to say, 'A woman of gold 

 isn't worth a man of clay.' " 



The inferior status of woman is symbolized in 

 the fact that a man never calls liis marriage part- 

 ner, "wife" (esposa). The term used, almost 

 without exception, is minha mim (my woman). 

 A woman, however, refers to her spouse as meu 

 marido (my husband). 



As has been indicated, there are several activ- 

 ities in which men participate and from which 

 women are customarily barred. No woman par- 

 ticipates in the conversation of the groups of men 

 which regularly form in public places in the vil- 

 lage. On a few occasions in which a woman has 

 been observed to come up to such a group to de- 

 liver an urgent message to a relative or acquaint- 

 ance, the talk has always ceased. The behavior 

 of the men present indicated that they were wait- 

 ing until the woman had left before continuing 

 their conversation. 



Upon no occasion does a woman participate in 

 a hunt or even think seriously of doing so. Hunt- 



ing in this terrain entails considerable physical 

 hardship. To carry a gun in brush and timber 

 where a way often has to be cut with a jacao (fig. 

 11), to spend the whole day tramping about, to 

 run rapidly on occasion through difficult under- 

 growth to follow game which has been flushed, 

 and to carry home on one's back an animal which 

 may weigh up to a hundred pounds, all while sub- 

 jected to the bites of ticks and mosquitoes, are con- 

 sidered activities only for men. Neither is it cus- 

 tomary for women or girls to participate in fish- 

 ing expeditions. "$ii«.'" exclaimed a man upon 

 being asked if women ever helped bring home fish. 

 "When did anyone ever see a woman on the banks 

 of the river?" 



During the period in which the community was 

 under observation, a futebol (soccer) team was 

 organized in the village and a few games were 

 played with neighboring towns. No woman or 

 girl participated either in practice or actual play. 

 A few women were present when games were 

 played in the village but none was observed to 

 comment publicly, in the company of men, upon 

 any aspect of the game. Playing cards is a favor- 

 ite pastime of the men, engaged in at the prin- 

 cipal hotequim, the bakery, or private homes. No 

 woman or girl, however, ever participates in a 

 game, either with men or other women. 



There are certain hours when a woman may 

 walk in a village street and certain other hours 

 when she is not expected to be out of the house. 

 After dark, unless she is attending a reza or a 

 festa or otherwise has a definite objective which is 

 known to all, she remains at home. Effusiveness 

 in conversation is promptly checked by a husband 

 or other male relative, by way of a glance, a casual 

 remark to the effect that the woman is making 

 herself a bit too conspicuous, or a firm order, like 

 that given by a village leader when his wife, dur- 

 ing a conversation in which a friend of the family 

 was participating, expressed an opinion of which 

 he did not approve, "Keep still ! Go look after 

 the child there in the other room." The order 

 was given in a rather natural manner, however, 

 without the voice being raised. The wife at once 

 left the room. On another occasion, a man and 

 his wife who live together quite amicably, were 

 talking to a friend when a lack of agreement be- 

 tween husband and wife emerged in the discus- 

 sion. Brusquely the man said to his wife, "Keep 



