Cunhambira refers, among the Tupi tribes of Brazil, to the son or daughter of a prisoner with a woman from the village where he had been held captive. The child was usually killed and subsequently eaten in a cannibalistic ritual.

Etymology

''Cunhambira'' means "the deceased of the woman", through the

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of the words ("woman") and ("deceased").

Custom

The custom associated with cunhambiras has been well-documented. At least , Gabriel Soares de Sousa, , and Vicente do Salvador recorded it. They did not indicate, however, any preference for the sex of the child destined for

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well document ...

. The children of prisoners with women from the village where they had been held captive were destined to die according to the same ritual as the warriors who were caught in combat. Although some authors claim the children were executed shortly after birth, most assert the mothers cared for them for a few years, during which they were raised as members of the tribe. When the time of execution arrived, the child was sent to their maternal uncle or nearest relative. The kid was then executed in the presence of the father, who was killed on the same day. The mother was the first to eat her child's flesh; this was considered a great honor for her.

Exceptions

Alfonse de Saintonge asserts that girls considered carriers of the same maternal nature had their lives spared.

Resistance

Some Tupi women tried to have their children permanently

adopted Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

by the tribe. Others practiced abortion.

References

Bibliography