La lengua del colonizador europeo y los mitos indígenas:

análisis de la leyenda de Curupira a partir de la cosmovisión amazónica paraense

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a research carried out in the University Campuses of Castanhal and Cametá/Federal University of Pará (2021-2022), in the Brazilian Amazon, whose objective was to study the narratives about Curupira. We focused on observing how this supernatural being is (re)presented in the current collective imagination of the region, in order to verify whether it is a living god (CASCUDO, 2008) or the demon referred to by the Jesuit Father José de Anchieta, one of the most representative figures of the colonising enterprise. Our intention, moreover, is to contribute to the de-demonisation of Curupira, since his "birth certificate" dated 1560, by the aforementioned priest, speaks of "a demon of the Brazilians". In this document, the European coloniser reflects the dominant worldview, elaborating a negative image of the myth, while at the same time distilling prejudices that survive to this day. The work was carried out by means of spontaneous and friendly interviews (MAGÁN, 2010), through which thirty-nine (39) accounts were obtained and then carefully analysed. The research has shown that Curupira is a defender of the forest, guardian of the forests, mother or father of the jungle, and not a demon. On the other hand, it has revealed many of the secrets of the enigmatic and fascinating Amazonia.