Muras people
Encyclopedia
The Muras are an indigenous people who live in the central and eastern parts of Amazonas, Brazil
, along the Amazon
river from the Madeira to the Purus. They played a important part in Brazilian history during colonial times and were known for their quiet determination and subsequent resistance to the encroaching Portuguese culture. Formerly a powerful people, they were defeated by their neighbors the Mundrucus in 1788.
Of the original diversity of Muran languages
, only Pirahán
survives today.
The Mura were attacked by three successive and bloody "punitive expeditions", suffering many losses also due to epidemics like measles
and smallpox
. An inquiry was attempted against them, asking for "just war" around 1737 and 1738, but this was not granted. Under intense pressure, they sought a peace agreement in 1786, but never completely stopped their raids against the Portuguese. In 1835, they formed an alliance with the Cabanos, seeking to make Cabanagem
an opportunity for the reconstruction of their lost freedom and of empowerment. According to Moreira Neto (1988), the culmination of the conflicts between the Mura and the regional society was its participation in Cabanagem
alongside the rebels. He adds: "probably no other major indigenous group in the Amazon paid more dearly than the Mura in their fight against the continuous efforts to decimate and expell them from their traditional beaches and lakes".
From 1863, the Mura were no longer mentioned in official reports, but this doesn't mean that they were no longer involved in conflicts, as can be deduced from what the author further states: "a Mura subtribe, the Mura-pirarrã
, which were considered in the nineteenth century the most secretive and aggressive Mura group, remains, even today, monolingual and isolated". The Mura are described as having never given up their resistance, but that it is simply now expressed by maintaining the language barrier between them and 'whites'".
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...
, along the Amazon
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
river from the Madeira to the Purus. They played a important part in Brazilian history during colonial times and were known for their quiet determination and subsequent resistance to the encroaching Portuguese culture. Formerly a powerful people, they were defeated by their neighbors the Mundrucus in 1788.
Of the original diversity of Muran languages
Muran languages
Muran is a small language family of Amazonas, Brazil.-Family division:Muran consists of 4 languages:# Mura †# Pirahã # Bohurá †# Yahahí †...
, only Pirahán
Pirahã language
Pirahã is a language spoken by the Pirahã. The Pirahã are an indigenous people of Amazonas, Brazil, living along the Maici River, a tributary of the Amazon....
survives today.
Historical Encounter with the Portuguese
According to Adélia Engrácia de Oliveira in Autos da devassa contra os índios Mura do Rio Madeira e nações do Rio Tocantins (1738-1739) (CEDEAM, 1986:1) : "It is known that they, who used their canoes as homes, nomadic indians ("Índios de Corso"), controlled a wide area of land from the border of Peru to River Trombetas, that they stood out for their great effort to repel the encroaching of the Portuguese, that they were valiant and fearless warriors, using special attack tactics, and that their incursions and raids frightened 18th century Amazonas."The Mura were attacked by three successive and bloody "punitive expeditions", suffering many losses also due to epidemics like measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
and smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. An inquiry was attempted against them, asking for "just war" around 1737 and 1738, but this was not granted. Under intense pressure, they sought a peace agreement in 1786, but never completely stopped their raids against the Portuguese. In 1835, they formed an alliance with the Cabanos, seeking to make Cabanagem
Cabanagem
The Cabanagem was a social revolt that occurred in the then-province of Grão-Pará, Brazil.Among the causes for this revolt were the extreme poverty of the Paraense people and the political irrelevance to which the province was relegated after the independence of Brazil.The name "Cabanagem" refers...
an opportunity for the reconstruction of their lost freedom and of empowerment. According to Moreira Neto (1988), the culmination of the conflicts between the Mura and the regional society was its participation in Cabanagem
Cabanagem
The Cabanagem was a social revolt that occurred in the then-province of Grão-Pará, Brazil.Among the causes for this revolt were the extreme poverty of the Paraense people and the political irrelevance to which the province was relegated after the independence of Brazil.The name "Cabanagem" refers...
alongside the rebels. He adds: "probably no other major indigenous group in the Amazon paid more dearly than the Mura in their fight against the continuous efforts to decimate and expell them from their traditional beaches and lakes".
From 1863, the Mura were no longer mentioned in official reports, but this doesn't mean that they were no longer involved in conflicts, as can be deduced from what the author further states: "a Mura subtribe, the Mura-pirarrã
Pirahã people
The Pirahã people are an indigenous hunter-gatherer tribe of Amazon natives, a subgroup of the Mura, who mainly live on the banks of the Maici River in Brazil's Amazonas state, in the territory on Humaitá and Manicoré municipality....
, which were considered in the nineteenth century the most secretive and aggressive Mura group, remains, even today, monolingual and isolated". The Mura are described as having never given up their resistance, but that it is simply now expressed by maintaining the language barrier between them and 'whites'".