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Tourism Proposal: Brazil ATH 315 SNHU 2023

1 Approach Brazil has always fascinated me because it is a larger country that seems more diverse than other South American countries. It reminds me of the United States of America, as another melting pot. Another reason why I am drawn to Brazil is because my boyfriend was born and raised in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and I would love to know more about Brazilian culture and history. From what I have experienced, Brazilian culture is very rich in history and would make an excellent country to tour as there is so much to learn and see. Diffusionism and acculturation are the main themes that we see in Brazilian culture. Diffusionism is when one culture spreads its culture to another area. Using original items, traditions, or ideas can be shared with other cultures for them to learn different things. Acculturation is similar, but with one culture taking over a whole other culture (King et al., 2017). These themes seemed appropriate for Brazilian culture because many other countries have influenced and are a part of Brazilian culture. We can also use this theory to support some of the bad press that Brazil faces. Racism is a problem that we see in Brazil after Europeans brought African slaves to Brazil (Ramos, 1941, p. 244). Religion was also brought by the Europeans, and the Catholic church supported slavery making racism worse (Ramos, 1986, p. 446). Religion was just one path in which acculturation happened. The Portuguese forced their traditions and religion on the African slaves and Native Brazilians (Ramos, 1986, p. 450). Brazil was colonized by Portugal in 1500. The Portuguese and white Europeans dominated Brazil even with the many African slaves that they brought over. The first Portuguese settlement was in São Vicente, Brazil. Soon there was intermingling between the Europeans, Africans, and the Amerindians (Indigenous Brazilians). The mixed races with darker complexions were considered a lower class and had lower positions in jobs, which meant that the

2 whites dominated the country (Cartwright, 2021). As for resistance, there were times when the indigenous Brazilians performed heretical acts as a form of indigenous resistance. They would do tribal rituals that were against the religions of the colonizers (Russell-Wood, 2001, p. 86). On September 7th, 1822, Brazil was able to gain its independence from Portugal after 300 long years (Cartwright, 2021). Using an ethnographic method can tell us so much about Brazilian culture. Ethnography is studying one specific culture and society. Brazil’s culture has been highly influenced by Portuguese and African cultures. Ethnography can show us the religious and traditional values of Brazilian culture. It can also show us some things like the types of food they eat, language, daily customs, instruments, music, and dance. To find this information there will be much research that will include interviews, observation, and analysis. This method is the best to get a true and accurate representation of culture as the anthropologist puts themself in the culture to experience it as a whole (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). Some theoretical perspectives consist of holism, cultural relativism, cross-cultural studies, and fieldwork. All of these perspectives come together to paint the whole picture. Holism is how the mind thinks and the way that people act or react. We need holism to understand traditions and customs. Cultural relativism is understanding a person's culture without judgment or bias. Cross-cultural studies help compare one culture to another, and fieldwork is studying a culture in its reality (Cassar, 2023). Fieldwork is very important when studying a culture because you see things in real-time, and have first-hand experience while living in this other culture. Logistics and Ethical Considerations Brazil is a developing country with plenty of infrastructure that allows for safe tourism.

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3 Normally when planning for more tourism we would need to build more infrastructure, but it would take away the beauty and history of Brazil. An environmental determinist would agree that there is no need for added infrastructure. The most touristed areas like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have accessible hotels and can accommodate many tourists' needs. From a Marxist standpoint, tourism is very beneficial for Brazil. Tourism allows for the spread of culture, and also, economically, tourism can help Brazil expand. Tourists can come to see the beauty of Brazil while helping the economy. Tourists can change the diversity of a country, but since Brazil is already more diverse than most countries, tourism wouldn’t have as much of an impact on changing the culture or identity of Brazil. Although tourism seems to be mostly positive, there are some negative effects of tourism. Tourists might not respect the culture or history. There are many historical sites throughout Brazil, and many sites are also religious. Tourists who are roaming free have more opportunities to go places where they probably shouldn’t. Tour groups are important to keep tourists from going out of boundaries. Tour guides are very informative and can share historical facts while doing tour guides. It can be quite fun as well if someone is doing the driving for you and you get to learn about the history of the country. Tour buses are nice to show bigger groups of people the beauty of Brazil, and essentially these tour guide companies can succeed and make more money while showing multiple tourists at a time. Diverse cultures will feel welcomed while traveling to Brazil once they find out how easy it is to travel around the country. This also makes tourists feel wanted when there are designated travel agency offices that can help with tours around the country. The ease of a tour guide makes tourists want to do more as well. The offer of tours in different languages could also help tourists who have not learned Portuguese. A translator can help tourists get around without a

4 hassle. And information booths around the cities are essential as well. All tourists from around the world will feel welcome visiting Brazil. When these tours are offered in other languages, tourists can better understand the historical sites that they are seeing and learn more about Brazil. Tourists will feel more secure and can obtain more information. They will be able to embrace the new culture that they’re visiting and they will feel more inclined to participate in certain cultural traditions while visiting. The purpose of tourism is to learn about another country without changing it. There should not be any disruption to the everyday lives of the people who live in Brazil. I do not think that there needs to be any more infrastructure made because the priority is keeping the Brazilian culture pure without harming the natives. Although tourists could still disrespect the culture, the use of tour guides will help prevent tourists from wreaking havoc. The other repercussion would be the tourists who come and fall in love with the country, then want to buy land because the US dollar equivalency to the Brazilian Real can get you many more things. As of September 2023, one US dollar will get you 5 Brazilian Real (CNBC, 2023). A problem that we need to avoid is that people will want to purchase land and can harm the environment by building more homes. This will also relocate natives as it can force natives out of their cities. The preservation of Brazilian culture is our top priority. We should not be encouraging tourists to move to these countries, but only to visit and learn about Brazil. Visas that are in place already will help prevent people from overstaying their welcome. People cannot travel to Brazil with the intent of moving there. Also, tourists from the US can travel to Brazil without a visa, but tourists from other countries will need a visa to visit Brazil. And generally, you cannot stay longer than 180 days in the country (U.S. Department of State, 2023). Vaccinations are also important to not spread disease, as well as not traveling with live plants that can potentially bring

5 other insects or diseases to the country. These things can be harmful not only to the people but to the environment too. Cultural Groups, Folklore, and Mythology The many cultural groups of Brazil piece the country together. The indigenous Brazilians were mixed primarily with the Portuguese and Africans. These are only a few of the many cultural groups that make up Brazil today. Mulattoes are Brazilians who are of African and European descent, and mestiços are a mix of European and indigenous descent (Martins et al., 2023). While researching I learned that mestiço and mulato are more offensive terms. Afro- Brazilian is a common term for Brazilians of African descent that is less demeaning. There are still about 300 indigenous tribes living in Brazil today, but at one point there were over 1000 tribes before the Europeans came. A few tribes are the Guarani, Yanomami, and Kawahiva (Survival International, 2023). While all the cultures in Brazil are important to its history, my main focus will be on Afro-Brazilians. African and Portuguese culture has shaped Brazil today, and I believe that they represent an important part of history. During the African slave trade, around 5.5 million African slaves were taken to Brazil from 1550 to 1850 (Klein and Luna, 2010, p. 151). The different African cultures were influenced in parts of Brazil. For example, Ghanaian and Nigerian culture was more concentrated in the Northeast of Brazil. Most slaves that were brought to Brazil came from the Congo-Angola regions (Klein and Luna, 2010, p. 157). The form of Afro-Brazilians came when slave owners started to intermingle with African slaves. European beliefs were pushed on the slaves and many became Christian and Catholic. While many African traditions were being dismissed, some new traditions still had an African influence (Klein and Luna, 2010, p. 216). Carnival is a perfect example of a tradition that has both European and African

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6 influences. It is a 4-day festival that celebrates African ancestry while also celebrating Roman Catholicism. Afro-Brazilians have a rich history and occupy about half of the Brazilian population (Martins et al., 2023). Brazil's mix of cultures presents many stories. Brazilian folklore and mythology are highly influenced by European and African cultural groups, and it is also influenced by the Catholic church. Some ballads have been brought from Portugal to Brazil that are still sung today, and many are religious ballads specifically from Madeira (Fontes, 2000, p. 100-101). Afro-Brazilians, Mestiços, and indigenous Brazilians all have their versions of myths. While Brazilians with African ancestry might focus their folklore on black magic, Mestiços have more of a Catholic Christian version. The offering to Yemanjá, an African Goddess of the water, is still practiced by Afro-Brazilians (Fontes, 2000, p. 290). There are festivals every year, and people will send flowers, and other goods on a boat while they make a wish. If their boats sank, then they were not sincere about giving their gifts. People also jump over waves and their wishes are supposed to come true (Hayes, 2007, p. 283-285). The indigenous Brazilians have Curupira, who is a protector of the forest. Curupira had magical powers and used them to protect the forest and the animals from any harm. He also helped people who were lost or in need (Figueira, 1942, p. 9). These myths are similar in the sense that one is a Goddess protecting the water, and the other is a boy protecting the land. Another story from Brazilian mythology which incorporates the Catholic church is the legend of “A Mula sem Cabeça”, which translates to “The Headless Mule”. This folklore came to Brazil from Portugal, and it is about a woman who turned into a headless mule because she had sexual relations with a priest. The story states that women who seduce priests will turn into headless mules with fire coming out of their necks (Volpatto, 2007). This story is rather

7 different than the previous myths. The identities that Brazil is faced with are shown in the many different stories told in the country. Some folklore and myths have changed and some are disappearing as fewer people tell the stories. Soon some myths will be forgotten, and Brazilian folklore will continue to change as stories like “A Mula sem Cabeça” are slowly phasing out (De Sá, & Mota-Rolim, 2016). The influence of Africa and Europe on indigenous Brazil has given many versions of mythology that we see all over the world. Black magic and the Catholic church also influence Brazil, and we see them join together in festivals throughout the country.

8 Resources (2023). The Brazilian Indigenous People . Survival International. https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/brazilian Cartwright, M. (2021, July 8). Portuguese Brazil . World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Portuguese_Brazil/ Cassar, C. (2023, May 4). What are the key components of the anthropological perspective? Anthropology Review. https://anthropologyreview.org/anthropology- explainers/key-components-of-the-anthropological-perspective CNBC (2023). US Dollar/Brazilian Real FX Spot Rate. https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/BRL= De Sá, J. F., & Mota-Rolim, S.A. (2016). Sleep Paralysis in Brazilian Folklore and Other Cultures: A Brief Review. Frontiers in Psychology , 7 , 196338. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01294 Figueira, G. (1942). Mythology of the Amazon Country. Books Abroad , 16 (1), 8–12. https://doi.org/10.2307/40082369 Fontes, M. da C. (2000). Folklore and Literature : Studies in the Portuguese, Brazilian, Sephardic, and Hispanic Oral Traditions. SUNY Press. Hayes, K. E. (2007). Black Magic and the Academy: Macumba and Afro-Brazilian “Orthodoxies”. History of Religions . https://doi.org/25161540 King, G., Wright, M., & Goldstein, M. (2017, April 24). Diffusionism and Acculturation . The University of Alabama. https://anthropology.ua.edu/theory/diffusionism-and- acculturation/ Klein, H.S., & Luna, F.V., (2010). Slavery in Brazil . Cambridge University Press.

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9 Martins, L., Burns, B.E., Momsen, R.P., Schneider, R., M. and James, P.E. (2023, July 10). Brazil. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Brazil Porcher, J. E., & Carlucci, F. (2023). Afro-Brazilian Religions and the Prospects for a Philosophy of Religious Practice. Religions , 14 (2), 146. https://doi- org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.3390/rel14020146 Ramos, A. (1941). Acculturation Among the Brazilian Negroes. The Journal of Negro History . https://doi.org/JNH2715251 Ramos, D. (1986). Community, Control and Acculturation: A Case Study of Slavery in Eighteenth Century Brazil. The Americas , 42 (4), 419–451. https://doi.org/10.2307/1007059 Russell-Wood, A. J. R. (2001). Brazilian Archives and Recent Historiography on Colonial Brazil. Latin American Research Review , 36 (1), 75–105. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2692075 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2023, September 14). ethnography. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/ethnography U.S. Department of State- Bureau of Consular Affairs (2023). Brazil- Federative Republic of Brazil. Travel.State.Gov. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel- Country-Information-Pages/Brazil.html Volpatto, R. (2007, December 18). A Mula Sem Cabeca . RosaneVolpatto. https://web.archive.org/web/20071218065529/http://www.rosanevolpatto.trd.br/lendamul a1.htm

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