Nopaḡo: histórias de Guerra Munduruku

Abstract

This work registers Munduruku histories and knowledge on war, nõpaḡo. In the old days, we made war against other peoples, which we call deíwat, and cut their heads off so it could bring us bountyness of food. This knowledge comes from ancient times. It all began with Karo Daybi, who learned from Mureko Doibu how to cut off the heads of individuals of his brother’s Yori Cuğ’pu people, who were himself a great hunter. But Karo Daybi had no luck in hunting, he couldn’t kill anything. In this work, I present the old histories that recount how the war begun. In the sequence I make an account on the manner in which war against other peoples happened, and on how enemy heads were used. The knowledge registered in this work comes mainly of the histories told to me by my uncles, Kaba Bon’pu (Faustino Kaba Munduruku) e Kaba Bimũḡwat’pu (Francisco Kaba Munduruku).