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CHAPTER ONE: HISTORY, RELIGION, AND TRADITION
a species of tree there, with wood the color of hot coals—
brasa
in
Portuguese. They called the trees “brazilwoods,” a term that gave
the country its name.
The Tupinamba Indians, one of many
indigenous
tribes in Bra-
zil, were the first to meet the colonists, who sought to establish
permanent settlements and monopolize the lucrative trade of the
brazilwood. The wood was highly prized as an ingredient for mak-
ing dye. The first Portuguese built settlements along the coast and
began harvesting the valuable wood.
At first, the Indians and European settlers worked well together.
However, they cut down too many stands of brazilwood along the
coast and had to push farther inland to satisfy their need. The far-
ther into the wilderness the colonists roamed, the more expensive it became
to cut down the trees. The Portuguese looked for another product to
exploit
.
They found it in sugar.
At the time, Europe loved sugar, although only a few people could afford the
treat they called “white gold.” The climate of Brazil and its
environs
was well
suited for the cultivation of sugarcane. To grow and harvest the crop, the Euro-
peans created a plantation system that relied on slave labor. Brazil soon became
the center of the sugar trade and Portugal the world’s largest supplier to Europe.
By 1612, Brazil was producing more than 19.8 million pounds (9 million kg) of
sugar a year.
INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
Today, one of the most pressing issues for Brazil is indigenous rights,
especially those concerning property. In 1988, the Brazilian Constitution
recognized the rights of native tribes to pursue their traditional ways of life and to
take possession of “traditional lands.” Despite its
codification
in law, the mining,
logging, ranching, and farming interests continue to pose a major threat to those
living in the Amazon. Settlers are illegally taking tribal land, sometimes violently.
To grow and process sugarcane, the Portuguese had no qualms about
enslaving Brazil’s Indians. The slaves, however, were not used to toiling long
hours in the brutal sun. Many died in the fields or were stricken with diseases
A Tupinamba Indian,
illustrated by Albert
Eckhout (1643).