Guarani Research Articles

O warázu do Guaporé (tupi-guarani)

O warázu (também conhecido como pauserna ou guarasugwe) é uma língua tupi-guarani falada na fronteira entre o Brasil e a Bolívia. Esta primeira descrição linguística é o resultado de um estudo de sete semanas que realizamos no alto rio Guaporé com os últimos falantes dessa língua. Inclui notas históricas, uma fonologia comparativa, uma morfologia e um dicionário warázu-português-inglês

Paraguay: Unveiling migration patterns with ancestry genetic markers

Before the arrival of Spanish settlers, the East region of Paraguay, was inhabited by Guarani people. After the Paraguayan war in 1870, which ended in loss of a high percentage of the male population, the migration to the country was encouraged. Immigration data indicate a high input of Eurasians to the territory. Also, since 1960s, a large number of Brazilians and Argentineans arrived in Paraguay. Samples from the eastern provinces of Paraguay were sequenced for the mtDNA control region and 88% presented native American haplogroups. A preliminary study on the same samples using AIMs indicates a high autosomal contribution from Europe and native America. The comparison of both type of markers showed that the European ancestry for autosomes is higher than expected when averaging mtDNA and the Y chromosome. This result supports recent admixture between Paraguayans and other populations probably already admixed, where the men contributed with high European ancestry.

Prevalência de infecção por Helicobacter pylori em uma comunidade indígena em São Paulo e fatores associados: estudo transversalPrevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in an indigenous community in São Paulo and associated factors: cross-sectional study.

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection is unevenly distributed among different populations. The aim here was to evaluate the factors associated with Helicobacter pylori infection among children up to five years of age living in a high-risk community. Cross-sectional study in an indigenous community of Guarani Mbya ethnicity, Tekoa Ytu and Tekoa Pyau villages, Jaraguá district, city of São Paulo (SP), Brazil. 74 children aged 0.4 to 4.9 years (mean 2.9 ± 1.3 years; median 3.1), and 145 family members (86 siblings, 43 mothers and 16 fathers) were evaluated for Helicobacter pylori infection using the validated 13C-urea breath test. Clinical and demographic data were collected. The prevalence was 8.3% among children aged 1-2 years and reached 64.3% among those aged 4-5 years (P = 0.018; overall 31.1%). The prevalence was 76.7% among siblings and 89.8% among parents. There was a negative association with previous use of antibiotics in multivariate analysis adjusted for age (odds ratio, OR: 0.07; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.01 to 0.66; P = 0.02). The prevalence was higher among males (OR: 1.55), and was associated with maternal infection (OR: 1.81), infection of both parents (OR: 1.5), vomiting (OR: 1.28), intestinal parasitosis (OR: 2.25), previous hospitalization (OR: 0.69) and breastfeeding (OR: 1.87). The prevalence was high among subjects older than three years of age, thus suggesting that the incidence of infection was higher over the first three years of life. Previous use of antibiotics was inversely associated with current Helicobacter pylori infection.

Genetic Analysis of the Floury Race of Maize Avati Morotî

Floury maize (Zea mays L.) is widely used across America as a staple food. A single racial complex of floury maize predominates in South America. One of the most representative races of this complex is Avati Morotî, which is used by the Guarani people as a basic food supply; however, the richness of this race has not been capitalized upon in advanced breeding programs. As a first step to profit from the potential of this race for breeding programs, we performed a genetic analysis of a core collection of the Avati Morotî race from Paraguay. The varieties were crossed in three diallels of seven, seven, and six varieties selected at random from the 20 varieties. The crosses and parents of the three diallels were evaluated in three diverse locations of Paraguay during 2 yr. Differences among varietal effects were significant for all traits; heterosis and its components were often significant. Therefore, a program for development of hybrids would be feasible if the uniformity of grain at harvest is a priority. We identified crosses with significant specific heterosis, such as PAZM2035 × PARA119 or PAZM7097 × PARA117, which are appropriate for a breeding program. Alternatively, Avati Morotî could be improved by intrapopulation recurrent selection, given that the performance of the best varieties (such as PAZM14084 or PAZM9044) was not significantly worse than the best hybrids. Genotype × environment interactions were often significant, including the interactions of heterosis components × environment, suggesting that the selection of varieties or crosses for improvement should be checked for diverse environments.

Medicinal Plant Diversity and Inter-Cultural Interactions between Indigenous Guarani, Criollos and Polish Migrants in the Subtropics of Argentina.

Numerous studies highlight the importance of phytotherapy for indigenous and non-indigenous people in different parts of the world. In this work we analyze the richness (number of species), diversity (plant identity and the number of illnesses for which it is used) and similarity of plant species and illnesses treated with them, in order to contribute new data and insight into the importance of plant medicines to the local medical systems of people living in Misiones province, in the subtropics of Argentina. Three sympatric groups were compared: Guarani Indians, Criollos (mestizos) and Polish migrants. Quantitative scrutiny was focused on both primary and secondary sources. The similarity and diversity of medicinal plants and uses between groups was calculated by applying the Sørensen quantitative coefficient and the Shannon-Wiener index, respectively. In order to identify the characteristic plant species used by each group, the Cultural Importance and Prevalence Value (CIPV) was calculated based on the species Indicator Value (IndVal), which combines a species relative abundance with its relative frequency of occurrence in the various groups, and modified according to the type of the analyzed data. The important finding is a great variation in the number of species used by the study groups. Altogether, 509 botanical species were registered: Guarani (397), Criollos (243) and Polish migrants (137). For all groups, the use of native medicinal plants prevailed. The Guarani appear to be the local experts in use of medicinal plants. There is the significant difference in the number of treated illnesses by each taxon among three groups. Criollos and Polish migrants exhibit the greatest similarity in illnesses treated with medicinal plants. These groups share a corpus of knowledge related to illness nosology, and have a symptomatic approach to illness treatment. The Guarani have an etiological approach to illness diagnosis and healing, which may be viewed as a barrier to the exchange of knowledge about home medicine with other ethnic groups of Misiones.

The passage from the infans to puer in the Guarani world system

espanolLa educacion Guarani esta integrada en el sistema palabra-alma-mundo (Teko) cuando el nino se desarrolla en busca del modo de ser bello y bueno. Estas caracteristicas conducen a los guaranies a la comprension del paso del infans a puer estan relacionados con la madurez de la divina palabra-alma, que madura en el nino. Cuando el nino comienza a hablar se entiende que se ha alcanzado el momento de la imposicion de su nombre. Marcar la iniciacion con el bautismo tiene un gran sentido de la comunidad, donde cada palabra es unica y sagrada. Hablar es un momento de gran fiesta, y muy importante, porque desde las am-bas celestes las deidades se presentan en los ninos. El nombre es el alma y es la palabra que crea horizontes de muchos mundos, y la conexion con la libertad de ser es fundamental para madurar esta fuerza que se encuentra dentro del nino, como semilla en el nhemongarai. Este periodo prenatal hasta los dos anos o mas que el nino esta lleno de atencion, lo que presupone un sistema complejo de mundo, el paso para la autonomia ludica y la experimentacion de los ninos como una forma de conocimiento profundo del proceso de desarrollo psicomotor y cognitivo de los infans al puer. EnglishThe Guarani education is related in the system word-soul-world (Teko) where the child is in a development path of becoming being good and beauty. Those Guarani traits makes them understand the passage of the infans to the puer as related to the maturity of the divine word-soul, that is being natured inside the child. When it starts to speak, it's understood that the child achieved the moment for name imposition. That passage is marked by the baptism, and that has a great meaning for the community, where every word is unique and sacred. To speak is a moment of great festivity, and it is very important because from the heavenly the deities show themselves through each child, as the seed of nhemongarai. The period from the pre-birth until the first two years of life is full of caring for the child's needs, which can be assumed as a complex system that allowed the child to live the ludic and also to have life-experiences as a manner to build a profound comprehension of its own psicomotricity and cognitive development. portuguesA educacao Guarani esta imbricada no sistema palavra-alma-mundo (Teko) onde a crianca se desenvolve em busca de um modo de ser belo e bom. Estas caracteristicas que levam os Guarani a compreender a passagem do infans ao puer estao relacionadas com a maturidade da palavra-alma divina, que amadurece dentro da crianca. Quando esta comeca a falar e entendido que a mesma alcancou o momento da imposicao do nome. Marcar esta passagem com o batismo tem grande sentido para a comunidade, onde cada palavra e unica e sagrada. Falar e um momento de grande festividade, e muito importante, pois das ambas celestes as divindades se apresentam atraves de cada crianca. O nome e a alma e e a palavra que cria horizontes de mundos diversos, e a conexao com a liberdade de ser e fundamental para que amadureca esta forca que jaz no interior da crianca, como semente no nhemongarai. Este periodo do pre-natal ate dois ou mais anos da crianca e repleto de cuidados, que pressupoe um sistema mundo complexo, na permissao ao ludico, e a experimentacao das criancas como forma de compreensao profunda do processo psicomotor e do desenvolvimento cognitivo do infans ate o puer.

La leyenda aborigen en la lírica de Juan M. Gutiérrez y Adolfo Berro

La atención de los letrados americanos del XIX sobre la herencia de la cultura aborigen para la construcción identitaria es un tema que ha sido estudiado desde diversos ángulos. En el contexto del Río de la Plata, el lugar del aborigen en el imaginario es particular por las características del poblamiento y distribución de los grupos nativos en el territorio, y por las campañas de exterminio de estos colectivos y las de inmigración europea que configuraron el blanqueamiento poblacional (Quijada, 2001: 57–92). Así y todo, también se han estudiado otros usos semánticos y simbólicos de lo aborigen, desde las propuestas de institución del incario durante la declaración de la independencia (Díaz-Caballero, 2005) hasta las más singulares y conocidas producciones literarias, como el Tabaré (1888) de José Zorrilla de San Martín. En el contexto general latinoamericano, novelas, poemas y ensayos que reivindican las posibilidades simbólicas del aborigen en Argentina y la Banda Oriental serían muestras de una tendencia de idealización con tradición en los estudios literarios (Meléndez, 1961; González Stephan/Lasarte, 1995). Pero dentro de los sistemas de representación locales, son cuestiones aisladas en apariencia y dignas de revisar.

“La mano nella terra”. Spaesamento e redenzione di un “conquistatore conquistato” nel Paraguay del XVI secolo

In her short story “La mano en la tierra” Josefina Pla outlines a “postmodern” portrait of the sixteenth-century hidalgo Don Blas, whose language is initially marked by the difference between Western hegemonic discourse and the subdued and subaltern Otherness of the natives. However, he gradually realizes not only the estrangement effect of his contact with the guarani people, but also a sense of displacement due both to the semantic crisis caused by contamination and his sense of alienation within his own family. Only at the end, thanks to the blue colour of his mestizo son’s eyes, does he recognize himself as a foreigner among foreigners, as half of a world which is completed by the Other, and reach a reconciliation that opens the door to the counter-conquest of future Americans.

La partícula ra’e en guaraní mbyá. Evidencialidad y temporalidad

Las lenguas de la rama guaraní (familia tupí-guaraní) se caracterizan por marcar tiempo, aspecto y modalidad mayormente mediante partículas libres. El presente trabajo hace foco en la partícula ra’e, primeramente considerada un marcador de tiempo pretérito relativo, pero más recientemente analizada como modal, en particular un evidencial con extensiones mirativas. El concepto de Evidencial de Percepción Diferida es puesto a prueba, y se postula como definición de esta partícula. En el marco de la semántica formal, se advierte que su uso introduce una presuposición de evidencialidad indirecta en los enunciados. Por último, entre los aspectos vinculados con la miratividad, se identifica que el uso de ra’e entraña el hecho de que la información codificada es nueva para el hablante.

Etnomatemática do Sistema de Contagem Guarani das Aldeias Itaty, do Morro dos Cavalos, e M'Biguaçu

Resumo Entre os povos indígenas presentes atualmente no Brasil incluem-se os Guarani. Desde o processo de expansão colonial, os conhecimentos dos povos colonizados – incluindo os saberes de práticas matemáticas – foram considerados pelos colonizadores como inferiores e sem valor. Diante deste quadro e da perspectiva multicultural da escola, este artigo tem como objetivo analisar o sistema de contagem Guarani e alguns símbolos gráficos das Aldeias Itaty do Morro dos Cavalos e M'Biguaçu, localizadas, respectivamente, nos municípios de Palhoça e Biguaçu, no estado de Santa Catarina ─ Brasil. Trata-se, metodologicamente, de um “estudo de caso do tipo etnográfico” realizado a partir da interlocução com líderes indígenas dessas aldeias e sustentado, teoricamente, pelos princípios do “Programa Etnomatemática”. Os resultados das análises evidenciaram que tanto o sistema de contagem quanto os símbolos não estão dissociados de sua cultura e, assim, cumprem a função de quantificação e também o que denominamos, neste artigo, de função qualitativa.

Out of Amazonia: Late-Holocene climate change and the Tupi–Guarani trans-continental expansion

The late-Holocene expansion of the Tupi–Guarani languages from southern Amazonia to SE South America constitutes one of the largest expansions of any linguistic family in the world, spanning ~4000 km between latitudes 0°S and 35°S at about 2.5k cal. yr BP. However, the underlying reasons for this expansion are a matter of debate. Here, we compare continental-scale palaeoecological, palaeoclimate and archaeological datasets, to examine the role of climate change in facilitating the expansion of this forest-farming culture. Because this expansion lies within the path of the South American Low-Level Jet, the key mechanism for moisture transport across lowland South America, we were able to explore the relationship between climate change, forest expansion and the Tupi–Guarani. Our data synthesis shows broad synchrony between late-Holocene increasing precipitation and southerly expansion of both tropical forest and Guarani archaeological sites – the southernmost branch of the Tupi–Guarani. We conclude that climate change likely facilitated the agricultural expansion of the Guarani forest-farming culture by increasing the area of forested landscape that they could exploit, showing a prime example of ecological opportunism.

Território tradicional e as crianças indígenas da aldeia Pakurity-Mato Grosso do Sul / Brasil

This article is part of the master's research project in anthropology at UFGD and search to present the proposal of a current study situation of the land regulation process of Kaiowa and Guarani in Pakurity camp, situated in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul - Brazil, as well as to identify and to describe who are the indigenous children, how they live, how they perceive the camping situation and how is the relationship with the kinship network and the traditional territory. The study, first, is based on authors such as Pacheco de Oliveira (1998), Brand (1993, 1997), Pereira (2007, 2009), Eremites de Oliveira & Pereira (2010), Cavalcante (2013), Lutti (2009), Conh (2005) e Aguilera Urquiza (2013) and its methodological procedures the anthropology practices such as field work, participant observation, field diary and other forms of records

Dry Leaf and Steviol Glycoside Productivity of Stevia rebaudiana in the Western United States

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a perennial herbaceous plant native to Paraguay, where it was used by the native Guarani peoples for centuries. Although steviol glycosides from stevia are powerful natural noncaloric sweeteners, stevia has been cultivated and commercially available only for the past 50 years. Cultural practices are still in development, and productivity potential in the United States is largely unknown. Currently commercial growers and processors worldwide are seeking to maximize the productivity of rebaudioside A, a steviol glycoside. The trials reported here examined the effects of location, harvest strategy, and cultivar on stevia dry leaf yield, steviol glycoside content, and steviol glycoside yield. Six or seven stevia cultivars were grown for ≈5 months at four western U.S. locations, with an irrigation criterion of 20 kPa. Stevia at every location was subjected to two harvest strategies: either one harvest at the end of the season or two harvests, one midseason and another at the end of the season. The main plots at each location were the stevia cultivars, and the split plots were the harvest strategies in a randomized complete block, split-plot design with four replicates. Dry leaf yield, leaf steviol glycoside content, and leaf steviol glycoside yield varied by cultivar, location, and cultivar by location, but not by harvest strategy or interactions of harvest strategy with location or cultivar. Dry leaf yield averaged 4.12 Mg·ha−1 with significant differences by cultivar and location. One of the steviol glycosides, rebaudioside A yield averaged 300 kg·ha−1 with significant differences by cultivar and by interactions of location with cultivar. Leaf productivity was greater at Ontario, OR, than at Hanford, CA, Indio, CA, or Yuma, AZ. Dry leaf yield greater than 7 Mg·ha−1 and rebaudioside A yields greater than 500 kg·ha−1 were observed at Ontario. Stevia perenniated at Hanford and Indio, providing the option of multiyear harvests from a single planting.

Genetic diversity of the floury race of maize Avati Morotî from the Guaraní tribe in Paraguay

Avati Morotî is a race of floury maize widely used by the Guarani people in South America, whose variability and potential value for breeding has been neglected so far. The objective of this research was to explore the genetic variability within the main Paraguayan race Avati Morotî. We studied the genetic variability available in the 20 accessions of Paraguayan Avati Morotî included in the South American core collection made by CIMMYT. Thirty individuals per accession were genotyped with 30 SSR (simple sequence repeat); we determined genetic diversity and made a cluster analysis in order to define genetic relationships among accessions. Mean of polymorphic loci (0.96), alleles per locus (3.57), alleles per polymorphic locus (3.65), expected (0.48) and observed (0.43) heterozygosity, and coefficient of consanguinity (0.12) revealed that Avati Morotî contains a genetic diversity comparable to the most variable maize races of maize. The cluster analysis classified the 20 populations in eight groups, five of them with a single accession, and a large group representing a central pool of germplasm. These results indicate that there is a large variability available in this race, and encourage the collection of more samples of Avati Morotî, particularly in marginal areas that were scarcely sampled.

“AS COISAS DO CÉU”: ETNOASTRONOMIA DE UMA COMUNIDADE INDÍGENA COMO SUBSÍDIO PARA A PROPOSTA DE UM MATERIAL PARADIDÁTICO

O objetivo desse trabalho foi identificar o conhecimento etnoastronômico de uma comunidade indígena do norte do Rio Grande do Sul, como subsídio para a produção de um material paradidático a ser utilizado na escola local. Foram utilizadas três etapas para a realização da pesquisa: oficina pedagógica, levantamento do conhecimento de etnoastronomia e confecção do livreto paradidático. A oficina pedagógica tornou público o conhecimento tradicional indígena sobre a criação do Sol e da Lua, o levantamento mostrou saberes tradicionais de astronomia consideráveis, em torno de temas como a criação do Sol e da Lua, as fases da Lua, as estações do ano e as estrelas, e o material paradidático produzido se configurou como o início de um processo de revivificação dos conhecimentos locais entre os membros da comunidade. O processo vivenciado se constituiu em uma etapa inicial de um trabalho que deve ser estimulado, dando continuidade à elucidação da etnoastronomia dos índios da aldeia Guarani MBYÁ Nhu Porá.

The appropriation and transformation of the landscape: the urbanization process resulting from the cultivation of the erva mate in Paraná (Brazil)

ABSTRACTThis paper aims to describe the landscape patterns and the urbanization process which evolved due to the mate tea (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hill) cultivation in the Brazilian state of Paraná. Drinking mate tea is an ancient tradition of the Guarani Indians who settled the southeastern region of South America. The large-scale cultivation of mate in Paraná has been taking place for centuries, mainly in the region around the city of Irati. Mate cultivation induced the development of settlements and influenced their growth; it stamped the economic and social character of the region, and shaped a rich and characteristic landscape. As other cultural landscapes, the ‘mate landscape’ is undergoing changes, with agriculture and urbanization being the most important drivers. To sustain its values it is necessary to call for attention to its environmental, economic, social and cultural virtues. We discuss the ecological and aesthetic value of mate culture, and the social and environmental demands of its future. We also offer arguments and some ideas to create from the landscape a significant community added value, bearing in mind that landscape is a key element of the quality of life and an important asset for future generations.

Possessive phrases as definite expressions in Tupí-Guaraní languages: the role of the R-morphology

O estudo investiga a sintaxe de sintagmas possessivos em línguas da família Tupí-Guaraní, considerando em particular a hipótese de que a chamada morfologia-R(elacional) denota uma descrição definida, induzindo efeito de definitude. Assumindo a Hipótese-DP, argumenta-se que a morfologia-R no nome que denota o possuidor codifica lexicalmente o núcleo D, por meio de uma relação de agreement, que licencia o possuidor, e permite incluir as línguas TG no grupo de línguas do tipo D(eterminante) G(enitivo), em oposição às línguas do tipo A(djetivo) G(enitivo).

Itaguy Guasu: un abrigo con grabados de pisadas y abstractos en el Cerro Guasú (Amambay, Paraguay); su contexto en América del Sur = Itaguy Guasu: a rock shelter with footprint and abstract engravings in The Cerro Guasú (Amambay, Paraguay); its context...

This paper is the result of the project of the National Inventory of the Rock Art of Paraguay, with which we begin to fill the knowledge and archaeological research vacuum on rock art and the Archaic Period (Lower and Middle Holocene) in thebasin of Paraguay river. The paper presents one of the rock shelters catalogued in Cerro Guasú, and links the parietal engravings (petroglyphs) to the archaeological deposit of the rock shelter. This hill is Jasuka Venda, the sacred mountain of the Paî Tavyterâ, a Guaraní people whose traditional territory extended over the North of Eastern Paraguay and bordering areas of Brazil. This shelter contains more than one thousand and three hundred engravings representing animal and human footprints, vulvae and abstract signs.The archaeological excavation performed resulted in an only occupation level, with lithic industry on planoconvex flakes (known as limaces or slug-shaped tools) and bifacial points. A hearth was discovered whose base was dated by TL in 5,212±323 BP, which refers to Middle Archaic / Holocene Period, to which we ascribe the engravings and, in general, all the ‘footprint style’ rock art inventoried in twelve sites in Paraguay. This absolute dating is the oldest one for this style or tradition in the continent, and it allows to think in Amambay as a core area in the elaboration and dissemination of the narrative and graphic topics of the footprint style rock art in south America, the only type of rock art present in the majority of the continent.

When "You" and "I" mess around with the hierarchy: a comparative study of Tupi-Guarani hierarchical indexing systems

Abstract: This paper deals with the person indexing system of Tupi-Guarani languages. Past literature has claimed that the relative position of the arguments of a transitive verb on a supposed person hierarchy 1 > 2 > 3 determines what argument is marked on the verb and how. It is also commonly believed that the morphosyntax of individual Tupi-Guarani languages is very comparable. This paper surveys in detail the encoding of arguments on transitive verbs in 28 Tupi-Guarani languages. It shows that the prior assumptions about indexing in Tupi-Guarani languages either do not hold strongly, or need to be stated in more nuanced ways. The study also shows that these languages are not as similar morphosyntactically as is often assumed. Importantly, they display a great variation in the domain of local configurations (i.e., when the two speech act participants interact), the arguments of which are often encoded in a non-transparent manner. This leads us to reject the 1 > 2 hierarchy as operative in governing indexing in all languages of the group.

Lexicología y fonología históricas del Aché

En este artículo se identifican unos 200 lexemas del aché (familia Tupí-Guaraní) con sus cognados en 20 de las demás lenguas de la familia. Este rastreo lexicológico no sólo muestra que la base del léxico aché es fundamentalmente tupí-guaraní (TG) - hasta ahora no se encontraron elementos de otra lengua no TG - sino que permite también elaborar aspectos de la fonología histórica del aché. Comparando la fonología del aché con la de las demás lenguas TG, se ve que las lenguas más cercanasson el mbyá y el xetá. Resulta de la comparación lexicológica y fonológica que el aché probablemente ha tenido en la historia de su formación contactos con varias lenguas TG como son el grupo siriono-yuki de Bolivia, el mbyá y/o xetá, el guaraní clásico y, en la actualidad, el guaraní paraguayo moderno.