Tremembé people
Encyclopedia
The Tremembé or Teremembé people are an indigenous people
in the state of Ceará
in Brazil
.
Existing members of this ethnicity are centered in the Almofala district of the municipality of Itarema
, and a few more in the neighboring municipalities of Acaraú
and Itapipoca
, on the Atlantic coast of Ceará, some 150 km north of the state capital of Fortaleza
. CEDI (1990) estimates that the Tremembé were 3,060 until 1986, but a more recent estimate places their numbers at merely 1,175.
The Tremembé were one of the few Tapuia ("non-Tupi people") that lived on the Brazilian coast on the advent of European contact c.1500. The Tremembé ranged over a large coastal area ranging across the modern states of Pará
, Maranhão
, Piauí
and Ceará
. The ethno-historical map of Nimuendajú situates the traditional teritory of the Tremembé in two segments along the northern Atlantic coast of Brazil. The first segment stretched some 160 km from the bay of the Caeté river (by modern Bragança, Pará
) to the bay of Turiaçu
(Maranhão). The second and principal segment stretched some 500 km, from the environs of São Luís, Maranhão
as far as the region of Fortaleza
, (Ceará
). The small interruption between the two stretches was occupied by a Tupinambá tribe. The Tremembé population are estimated to have once numbered 20,000.
The Tremembé, a Tapuia tribe, were virtually surrounded by Tupi peoples - on the coast, there were Tupinambá to the west, and the Potiguara and Tabajara
to the east. In their hinterlands were other Tupi ethnicities, like the Guajá, the Urubú
and the Guajajara
.
In the 17th C., the Tremembé began to settle in the Jesuit mission of Aracati-mirím, at Aldeia do Cajueiro (now Almofala) by the Acaraú River
in Ceará
. There was also a (non-Jesuit) mission at Tutóia
(in Maranhão). When the Portuguese minister, the Marquis of Pombal, issued his 1759 decrees expelling the Jesuits and dismantling their missions, the settled Tremembé population moved, along with a handful of priests, to Vila Nova do Soure (Caucaia
). However, they did not adapt well to their new environment, and were allowed to return to their old mission settlement, the Aldeia do Cajueiro, which was renamed Almofala and incorporated as an indian town in 1766.
The Tremembé were dispossessed of most their remaining lands in the aftermath of the 1854 "Lei da Terra" (land tenure decree) of the Empire of Brazil. The state governor of Ceará issued a decree in 1863 declaring the Tremembé an extinct people, remaining indians officially regarded as caboclo
s (mixed-race) or "descendents" of indians, but not an existing ethnicity. Nonetheless, the Tremembé resurged and received recognition from the Fundação Nacional do Índio
in the 1980s.
as their mother tongue. The language is unclassified
, but generally believed to have not been part of the Tupi–Guarani family (thus, "Tapuia", or non-Tupi). Nonetheless, the Tremembé may have borrowed a considerable number of Tupi words through interaction with their Tupi neighbors.
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
in the state of Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Existing members of this ethnicity are centered in the Almofala district of the municipality of Itarema
Itarema
Itarema is a town and municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, and a few more in the neighboring municipalities of Acaraú
Acaraú
Acaraú is a municipality and city in the Ceará state of Brazil. The city lies on the Acaraú River near the northern Atlantic coast. As of 2005 the population was estimated at 51,138. The municipality is a major producer of Brazilian lobster and its economy depends heavily on fishing, agriculture,...
and Itapipoca
Itapipoca
Itapipoca is a city in Ceará, Brazil. It is located at around . It was founded in 1823. It is far from Fortaleza about 130 km.Probably the most known Itapipoca citizen is the entertainer and politician Tiririca....
, on the Atlantic coast of Ceará, some 150 km north of the state capital of Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
. CEDI (1990) estimates that the Tremembé were 3,060 until 1986, but a more recent estimate places their numbers at merely 1,175.
The Tremembé were one of the few Tapuia ("non-Tupi people") that lived on the Brazilian coast on the advent of European contact c.1500. The Tremembé ranged over a large coastal area ranging across the modern states of Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
, Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
, Piauí
Piauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
and Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
. The ethno-historical map of Nimuendajú situates the traditional teritory of the Tremembé in two segments along the northern Atlantic coast of Brazil. The first segment stretched some 160 km from the bay of the Caeté river (by modern Bragança, Pará
Bragança, Pará
Bragança, Pará is a town and municipality in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil.-References:...
) to the bay of Turiaçu
Turiaçu
Turiaçu is a town and municipality in the state of Maranhão in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...
(Maranhão). The second and principal segment stretched some 500 km, from the environs of São Luís, Maranhão
São Luís, Maranhão
São Luís is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Maranhão. The city is located on Ilha de São Luís in the Baía de São Marcos , an extension of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the estuary of Pindaré, Mearim, Itapecuru and other rivers. Its coordinates are 2.53° south, 44.30° west...
as far as the region of Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
, (Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
). The small interruption between the two stretches was occupied by a Tupinambá tribe. The Tremembé population are estimated to have once numbered 20,000.
The Tremembé, a Tapuia tribe, were virtually surrounded by Tupi peoples - on the coast, there were Tupinambá to the west, and the Potiguara and Tabajara
Tabajara
Tabajara is a nation of indigenous people, who had lived in interior of the Ceará, specially in Serra da Ibiapaba. This name means lord of village from taba village, and jara lord; according to José de Alencar....
to the east. In their hinterlands were other Tupi ethnicities, like the Guajá, the Urubú
Urubu
Urubu is the tenth album by Antonio Carlos Jobim. "Urubu" means "vulture" in Portuguese, hence the cover picture. It was released on 1976.-Track listing:# "Bôto " –6:09# "Ligia" –4:13...
and the Guajajara
Guajajara
The Guajajara are an indigenous people in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. They are the most numerous indigenous group in Brazil.In 1910, the Guajajara fought Capuchin missionaries in what is regarded the last Brazilian "war against the Indians."...
.
In the 17th C., the Tremembé began to settle in the Jesuit mission of Aracati-mirím, at Aldeia do Cajueiro (now Almofala) by the Acaraú River
Acaraú River
-References:*...
in Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
. There was also a (non-Jesuit) mission at Tutóia
Tutóia
Tutóia is a town and municipality in the state of Maranhão in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...
(in Maranhão). When the Portuguese minister, the Marquis of Pombal, issued his 1759 decrees expelling the Jesuits and dismantling their missions, the settled Tremembé population moved, along with a handful of priests, to Vila Nova do Soure (Caucaia
Caucaia
Caucaia is a Brazilian city in the state of Ceará of about 300,000 inhabitants.Caucaia sits right next to the capital city of Fortaleza and is also home to a state garden park. There is a market in the center of the town with lots of fish, exotic fruits, and souvenirs for the many tourists that go...
). However, they did not adapt well to their new environment, and were allowed to return to their old mission settlement, the Aldeia do Cajueiro, which was renamed Almofala and incorporated as an indian town in 1766.
Caboclo
A caboclo or caboco is a person of a mixed Brazilian Indian and European ancestry. In Brazil, a caboclo is a specific type of mestiço as is the mulato, a person of a mixed Afro-Brazilian and European ancestry....
s (mixed-race) or "descendents" of indians, but not an existing ethnicity. Nonetheless, the Tremembé resurged and received recognition from the Fundação Nacional do Índio
Fundação Nacional do Índio
Fundação Nacional do Índio or FUNAI is a Brazilian governmental protection agency for Indian interests and their culture.It was originally called the SPI and was founded by the Brazilian Marshal Cândido Rondon in 1910, who also created the agency's motto, "Die if necessary, but never kill." The...
in the 1980s.
Language
The original language of the Tremembé is extinct. Current members of the ethnicity speak PortuguesePortuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
as their mother tongue. The language is unclassified
Unclassified language
Unclassified languages are languages whose genetic affiliation has not been established by means of historical linguistics. If this state of affairs continues after significant study of the language and efforts to relate it to other languages, as in the case of Basque, it is termed a language...
, but generally believed to have not been part of the Tupi–Guarani family (thus, "Tapuia", or non-Tupi). Nonetheless, the Tremembé may have borrowed a considerable number of Tupi words through interaction with their Tupi neighbors.
External links
- Tremembé at Povo Indigenas do Brasil