Maira

by Darcy Ribeiro, E.H. Goodland (Translator), Thomas Colchie (Translator)

Major Nonato dos Anjos, a cavalry officer, is assigned to investigate the mysterious death of a pregnant white woman near the village of some Brazilian Indians

Genres: Fiction, Brazil, Portuguese Literature, Indigenous, Literature, Novels

353 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Darcy Ribeiro (Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil, October 26, 1922 – Brasilia, DF, Brazil, February 17, 1997) was a Brazilian anthropologist, author and politician. Darcy Ribeiro's ideas of Latin American identity have influenced several later scholars of Latin American studies. As Minister of Education of Brazil he caried out profound reforms which led him to be invited to participate in university reforms in Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and Uruguay after leaving Brazil due to the 1964 coup d'état.
Darcy Ribeiro was the son of Reginaldo Ribeiro dos Santos and of Josefina Augusta da Silveira. He completed his primary and secondary education in the town of his birth, Montes Claros, at the Grupo Escolar Gonçalves Chaves and at the Ginásio Episcopal de Montes Claros. He is best known for development work in the areas of education, sociology and anthropology and for being, along with his friend and colleague Anísio Teixeira, one of the founders of the University of Brasília (Universidade de Brasília) in the early 1960s. He also served as the first rector of that university. He was the founder of the State University of Norte Fluminense (Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense) as well. He wrote numerous books, many of them about the indigenous populations of Brazil.
During the first mandate of governor Leonel Brizola in Rio de Janeiro (state) (1983–1987), Darcy Ribeiro created, planned and directed the implementation of the Integrated Centres for Public Instruction (Centros Integrados de Ensino Público), a visionary and revolutionary pedagogical project of assistance for children, including recreational and cultural activities beyond formal instruction – making concrete the projects envisioned decades earlier by Anísio Teixeira. Long before politicians incorporated the importance of education for the development of Brazil into their discourse, Darcy Ribeiro and Leonel Brizola had already developed these ideals.
In the elections of 1986, Ribeiro was the Democratic Labour Party PDT candidate for the governorship of Rio de Janeiro (state), running against Fernando Gabeira (at that time affiliated with the Workers’ Party PT), Agnaldo Timóteo of the Social Democratic Party (PDS) and Moreira Franco of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). Riberio was defeated, being unable to overcome the high approval rating of Moreira who was elected due to the popularity of the then-recent currency reform, the Cruzado Plan (Plano Cruzado). Another defeat was in 1994, when he was Brizola's running-mate in presidential election; Darcy Ribeiro was also chief of staff (Ministro-chefe da Casa Civil) in the cabinet of President João Goulart, vice-governor of Rio de Janeiro (state) from 1983 to 1987 and exercised the mandate of senator from Rio de Janeiro from 1991 until his death – which was proceeded by a long battle with cancer that emotionally touched all of Brazilian society: Darcy Ribeiro, ever the ardent and controversial defender of his ideas, received during his long illness recognition and admiration not only from friends but also from adversaries.

Reviews

[Jim Fonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll call this an ‘anthropological novel.’ The author was a Brazilian anthropologist who studied and lived with the indigenous Amerindians of Brazil’s rainforest. It was written in the 1970s and since then, despite Brazil’s on-and-off efforts at preserving their lifestyle, the semi-isolation that the Amerindians once lived in is now of a bygone era. At the time this book was written the Indian areas were being invaded by traders, loggers, government officials and Protestant and Catholic missionaries.



The story begins with an Indian returning home after many years of study to become a Catholic priest. At the end of his studies he decides to return home and not to take his final vows.

By coincidence he arrives back in his village with a psychologically insecure Brazilian woman who is escaping from her sexually promiscuous urban life and looking for a ‘cause.’ The man is lost between the two worlds and eventually realizes that just as he found he could not fit into the modern world, he ‘can’t go home again’ either.

The Brazilian woman finds happiness as a ‘common woman’ among the Indians but right at the beginning of the novel we realize her fate: she will die alone in childbirth along a riverbank. That, and some action adventure in the rainforest, is really all the plot.

The story is written in an interesting fashion but about half of the book (translated from Portuguese) is taken up with the customs and the life view of this particular tribe. We learn a lot about the lifestyle and cosmology of the Indians, their gods and earth-creation myths, so it’s a bit much for fiction. Perhaps ‘faction’ is a better descriptor. And it kind of overdoes the ‘noble savage’ theme.

The author (1922-1977) was a well-known scholar in Brazil and in all of Latin America. He wrote about 25 books, most of which were scholarly works in anthropology and ethnology. Only a couple are available in English. He wrote five novels, of which Maira is his most widely read and the only one translated into English. Among his other accomplishments, he was for a time Minister of Education in Brazil and the first president of the University of Brasilia.

[Revised 4/23/23, spoilers hidden, pictures and shelves added]



Top photo by Rodrigo Abd of AP on apnews.com
The author from iree.org.br

[Glenn Russell]

With Maíra, cultural anthropologist and novelist Darcy Ribeiro presents the gripping conflict between an indigenous Amazon jungle tribe and the technological, capitalist West.

One pivotal character: Avá taken away from his tribe when a child by a jovial, talkative missionary; Avá the Mairus tribesman taken away to Rome so he can be made over into a Catholic priest.

The novel opens with the death of old Mairus chieftain Anacá. The next Mairus in line to take over for the chieftain is none other than Avá, currently Father Avá scheduled to pay a return visit to his jungle tribe on behalf of the Catholic church.

In addition to the unfolding drama, the author gives us a vivid sense of the Amazon rainforest exploding with life in all forms. Reading this novel, you'll feel as if you're taking a long trek through the vast, lush Brazilian jungle. Here's a sampling of birdlife contained in one short paragraph. And Maíra is 350 glorious pages!



"Toucans with yellow beaks and golden throats whistle and dance pirouettes over the highest treetops."



"Above them, in the sky, flock the bluest, the reddest, the yellowest birds of all, the great macaw, flying in pairs, jealous, conversing."



"Soon bands of loquacious warblers arrive."



"Then the red-fan parrots, proud of their collars and of their insults to the gossipy parakeets."



"At the edge of the water, chestnut-colored horned screamers cry viu-viu-viu, proclaiming their virginity, armed as they are with double spurs."



"Rusty hoatzins with dentated beaks and sharp pointed wings swing their crested heads from side to side, uttering discordant cries and making a mess around their perches in the thickets of mucca-mucca."



"In the darkness of the forest, self-contained and silent, the squawking of the falcons is suddenly heard, filling animals and men alike with dread."



"Bellbirds clang their hammers on sheets of iron."



"Motionless musical wrens, red and black enchanted sorcerers, sing their melodies to the shadowy forest."

Pick up a copy of Maíra and take your own journey to the heart of the Amazon.


Brazilian anthropologist and novelist Darcy Ribeiro, 1922-1997

[Newton Nitro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma viagem pelo mundo de uma tribo indígena brasileira feita dentro da estrutura de um romance de mistério policial. Uma obra única da literatura brasileira de um dos nossos maiores intelectuais de todos os tempos.

SINOPSE
Primeiro romance de Darcy Ribeiro, que conta o declínio da tribo fictícia dos “mairums”, dentro do mistério da morte de Alma, uma carioca branca que, depois de uma vida de excessos, decide se tornar uma missionária voluntária entre os índios. A narrativa também é entrecortada com a história de Isaías, ou Avá, seu nome original entre os índios.

Isaías era um “mairum” destinado a se tornar um chefe guerreiro, mas, levado por um missionário, se torna um seminarista, com uma alma dividida entre sua origem indígena e sua vida entre os brancos. Além dessas narrativas, o romance traz elementos da cultura indígena, passagens mitológicas, denúncias da corrupção e da complexa relação entre o governo e os povos indígenas.

RESENHA

Um dos mais belos momentos da nossa literatura. Darcy tem um estilo fantástico, poético e bem maduro.
O romance segue uma estrutura modernosa, bem à moda da década de setenta, com capítulos alternando cenas, pontos de vista, estilos narrativos, e montando a história do romance por meio de fragmentos.

O tema principal é o adeus poético a cultura indígena, representada pelos fictícios “mairums”. A tribo serve como um símbolo do universo cognitivo do índio, seus rituais, seu modo de pensar e sentir são descritos com precisão. E são muito belos.
É essa cultura que é atacada de todas as formas dentro da narrativa de Maíra. Seja pela incompreensão e falta de preparo dos funcionários da Funai, seja pela brutalidade e corrupção de caçadores e comerciantes de peles e animais selvagens, ou até mesmo pela lei brasileira que transforma os índios em seres infantilizados.

E Darcy, usando do mistério de uma morte sem explicação, parece querer preservar nesse romance a “visão de mundo” do indígena, mostrando que os conceitos de “primitivo”, “selvagem”, “pior”, “melhor” são limitados e muito superficiais. O que existem são culturas diferentes, ou melhor, realidades diferentes, visto que vivemos dentro do universo criado pelos conceitos pelos quais percebemos o viver.

E esse é o melhor aspecto de “Maíra”, nunca, em nenhuma parte do romance, existe a costumeira visão arrogante da cultura eurocêntrica em relação à visão do mundo indígena. É uma visão horizontal, nunca “de cima” e sim “de dentro”.
Recomendo, ou melhor, recomendo a leitura de tudo que o Darcy escreveu. É mais uma parte da tragédia brasileira o quão pouco se lê (e se compreende) desse gigante da nossa cultura. Não existe desculpa NENHUMA para a encrenca brasileira, tivemos e TEMOS gente brilhante aqui, disposta a compartilhar suas compreensões sobre os nossos eternos dilemas, sobre a nossa confusa identidade, e da eterna guerra de forças conservadoras e progressistas na nossa história. E, principalmente, a compreensão da absurda crueldade com que tratamos as comunidades indígenas brasileiras. “Maíra” é fundamental.

Recomendado para quem curte literatura brasileira, quem quer ter uma visão mais moderna e antropológica do universo indígena brasileiro, quem já está acostumado com romances mais experimentais, e para quem quer iniciar na leitura da riquíssima obra de Darcy Ribeiro.

[Laura Regina indicalaura · Rating 5 out of 5]

O retorno de Isaías à sua aldeia mudará a vida de toda a tribo Mairum, principalmente por levar a caraíba Alma e por suas novas ideias de como viver.
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Várias gratas experiências para mim envolvem este livro: ajudar Seu Odilon no projeto de reconstrução do sebo (veja o ig dele e ajude tb 😉), conhecer um novo escritor brasileiro que já tinha ouvido falar mas não tinha lido, entrar numa história cheia de brasilidade com a vivência dos povos nativos e sua tentativa de manter a cultura viva, e ter esta indicação como um estímulo para mim (e pra vc, quem sabe! 😉) de conhecer mais sobre estes temas e sobre o Brasil dos rincões.
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Além disso, a descrição do ambiente é maravilhosa, conseguindo nos transportar para aquela mata fechada às margens do Iparanã, com suas tribos, suas vilas, suas histórias, suas vivências, seu passado e seu futuro. Tudo isto ainda envolvendo o retorno de um quase padre que decide abandonar tudo para ser o chefe de sua família, com visões conflitantes sobre os brancos caraíbas e seus irmãos mairuns.
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O texto foi escrito por Darcy quando ele estava exilado durante a Ditadura Militar. É bastante palpável o quando suas décadas de estudos antropológicos estão transmutadas em ficção, mas com muitas pitadas do que ele vivenciou. É perceptível também o quanto a sociedade capitalista europeia massacrou os povos originários, escravizando seus corpos e destruindo suas culturas por serem “inferiores” - e o sarcasmo de várias situações esdrúxulas e das falas dos personagens e do narrador são impagáveis.
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A escrita de Darcy me surpreendeu muito, porque mistura de forma harmoniosa o português com os termos e expressões da tribo Mairum. Além disso, mostra diferentes narradores com diversos visões do que eles estão pensando e vivenciando, como desmatamento, demarcação de terra indígena, a catequização forçadamente dos nativos, expansão de gado na mata virgem, a morte da tribo e de sua cultura,etc. - esse livro é de 1977, mas poderia ser 2020, né não?!! 😞

Mais indicações no Instagram @indicalaura

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

brazilian anthropologist writes a novel about the problems faced by amazonian indigenous tribes confronted with modernity, which sounds pretty good in theory but the execution often fell a bit flat for me, although there is a lot of nicely observed interesting detail about the culture of the indigenous people and their way of life. the best sections to me were the very fun and scatological folktales, which are presumably based on real folktales from the region, even though the tribe in the book seems to be a fictional group. there is a review from the 80s claiming that the translation into english was over literal and stilted, so perhaps this is why i found some of the book a little dull.

[Lidiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives me a bitter taste: I admire Darcy Ribeiro's work as the great anthropologist, but at the same time that Maira sheds light over the Brazilian indigenous culture, it also perpetuates many stereotypes.

[Ayla Gresta · Rating 5 out of 5]

lindo contato com a cultura indígena, crítico, engraçado e erótico

[Maíra C G Leal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was named after this book, so it was a must read for me and did not disappoint.
But fare warning: the non-linear narrative and sensitive themes that remain actual due to the relation with climate change (agricultural frontier expansion, attacks on indigenous native tribes, cultural colonialism) might make it harder to read.
It resembles naturalism, but reflects the author experience as an anthropologist.
Climate change debates make it current, but also sad to see remaining patterns over almost 50 years since it was first published.

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro que lida com muita mitologia indígena, ao mesmo tempo em que mostra a exploração do ser humano por outro ser humano, a falta de respeito para com os povos indígenas, e a tentativa de "pacificar"indígenas isolados por meio da imposição religiosa. Alguns momentos poéticos, outros momentos bem cruéis. Uma leitura necessária.

[Giovana Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inesperadamente excelente.
Não é uma leitura simples, exige atenção e até te obriga a reformular as hipóteses que você vinha fazendo - mesmo começando com o final no primeiro capítulo!
A narrativa é fora de ordem e em várias vozes, então é bastante complexo.
No fim das contas, acabei amando o livro.

[Lyle Krewson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book, in English translation, but have not been able to 'get into' it. So am laying it down, perhaps to return another time.

[Wojtek Konieczny · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5/10

[Fernando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremamente interessante e recomendado! Um romance mesclado com antropologia!

[Papillon]

8