CRUZ DAS almas: a BRAZILIAN VILLAGE' — ^PIERSON 



203 



erable show of approval, "He's the 'chief among 

 the hunters here; of all of them, he's the best." 

 To spend all one's time hunting or fishing, how- 

 ever, is frowned upon. One hears in this respect 

 the phrases, so vive pescando (he spends all his 

 time fishing) and td setnpre bateno no mato atrais 

 de caga (he's always in the timber running after 

 game). 



Perhaps nine persons in the community have 

 greater prestige than their associates. All are 

 men. The characteristics which, in each case, de- 

 termine superior status were indicated by persons 

 intimately acquainted with the community to be 

 as follows : 



Individual 1. — Age, descent from a family long in the 

 community, superior intelligence, competence shown as a 

 village storekeeper and former local official, ability to 

 use wit and humor in personal contacts, an economic 

 condition above the average in the community. 



Individual 2. — Age, superior intelligence, membership 

 in a family prominent in the community, competence 

 shown as a village official and local political leader, con- 

 versational ability, initiative in supervising road building 

 and in developing a bus line. 



Individual 3. — Age, reputation as a "hard worker," com- 

 petence shown improving a farm. 



Individual f/. — Age, an especially pleasant and friendly 

 manner, conversational ability, competence shown as vil- 

 lage official and in developing a farm. 



Individual 5. — Age, superior intelligence, conversational 

 ability, competence shown as a local official and political 

 leader. 



Individual 6. — Position as village padre and local rep- 

 resentative of the traditionally respected ecclesiastical 

 authority, superior education. 



Individual 7. — Reputation as a "hard worker," com- 

 petence shown as a former village official and present 

 local political leader, facility of verbal expression, "con- 

 nections" with political figures in Sao Paulo, knowledge 

 of the world outside the community, ability demonstrated 

 as resident administrator of a local fazenda. 



Individual S. — Descent from a family long in the com- 

 munity ; competence shown as a village official, as a 

 hunter, and as a prescriber of drugs in cases of illness; 

 constant good humor; ability in conversation and joking. 



Individual 9. — Competence shown as a former village 

 official and present local political leader, facility of verbal 

 expression, ability demonstrated in building and super- 

 vising a mill for grinding maize, an economic condition 

 above the average. 



With reference to 14 other persons, whose status 

 in the community is perhaps only slightly less, the 

 characteristics which appear to have increased 

 prestige include age, male sex, membership in a 

 prestige-bearing family, the holding of an office, 

 the ownership of land, occupational competence. 



special ability (shown, for example, as village 

 bell ringer, capeJdo, auctioneer of pi'endas; in 

 playing the violdo or one of the instruments in 

 the band; preparing foods; making baskets, fire- 

 works, and pottery; playing cards or soccer; 

 preparing for a festa and leading portions of 

 it like the dances which are dedicated to Sao 

 GonQalo) ; and certain personal characteristics, 

 such as superior intelligence, self-confidence and 

 ability demonstrated in conversation, in develop- 

 ing and maintaining primary relations, in 

 accommodating oneself to variant situations and in 

 "playing politics." 



To the above-mentioned characteristics, how- 

 ever, there must be added in the case of each indi- 

 vidual who would enjoy superior prestige, certain 

 other characteristics which are considered indis- 

 pensable in every person. Among these basic re- 

 quirements are modesty, sincerity, a willingness to 

 work, friendliness, pleasantness of manner, hos- 

 pitableness, a readiness to oblige, loyalty, tolerance 

 and (in the case of a married man) competence in 

 providing for one's family. 



If, on the other hand, one analyzes cases of 

 individuals with inferior status in the commun- 

 ity, the characteristics which especially make for 

 lowered prestige would seem to be youth, female 

 sex, aversion to hard work, occupational incom- 

 petence, inability to get on with other persons, 

 low status of the family of which the individual 

 is a part, inferior intelligence, failure to marry 

 (in the case of a woman), foreign origin, exces- 

 sive use of alcoholic liquors, destitute economic 

 condition, in addition to the lack of one or more of 

 those characteristics which are considered essen- 

 tial in the case of every individual. 



In the conversation of local inhabitants, one 

 often notes phrases which tend to define the 

 sources of prestige, or lack of prestige, in a givea 

 individual. Included among these phrases are 

 the following : 



Age 



Ele 6 home de idade, de juizo 



(He's a man of years and judgment) 

 Ele tem experiencia 



(He's a man of experience) 

 Com cinquenta ano jii tem mais pensamento 



(By the time a person is fifty years old, he has 

 more judgment) 

 IS ainda muito mogo 



(He is still very young) 



