Tupi - Tupi (English spelling)

A general term for the Tupi-speaking groups in South America. They live in a vast area from the south of the Amazon River to the Rio de la Plata River, divided into many tribes and villages. There are the Tupinamba groups that are widely distributed along the Atlantic coast of central Brazil, the Kawaibu and Siriono groups in the Amazon River basin, and the Guarani groups that live mainly in eastern Paraguay. The Tupi live differently depending on the area they live in, but generally they practice slash-and-burn agriculture, using manioc (cassava), corn, sweet potatoes, and other crops, as well as hunting and gathering. Fishing is important for the Tupi who live near rivers and the sea. In coastal areas, they form villages of several thousand people, but most villages are only a few hundred people, with no social organization beyond that. The Guarani and Tupinamba groups' villages are patrilineal. The Siriono are matrilineal, and when they marry, the couple lives in the wife's village. Many of the Tupi groups used to wage constant wars as village units, and had the habit of cannibalizing their enemies. There are shamans who believe in various spirits and treat illnesses.

[Itabashi Masami]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

南アメリカのトゥピ語を話す諸集団の総称。アマゾン川の南からラ・プラタ川までの広大な地域に多数の部族、村に分かれて住んでいる。ブラジル中部の大西洋沿岸に広く分布するトゥピナンバの諸集団、アマゾン川流域のカワイブ、シリオノ、パラグアイ東部を中心に住むグァラニなどの諸集団がある。トゥピの生活は住む地域によって異なるが、一般に、マニオク（キャッサバ）、トウモロコシ、サツマイモなどを作物とする焼畑農耕と狩猟、採集を行う。川や海の近くに住むトゥピでは漁業が重要である。海岸地域では数千人からなる村をつくることがあるが、多くは数百人程度の村で、それ以上の社会組織はみられない。グァラニとトゥピナンバの諸集団の村は父系親族によって構成される。シリオノは母系出自で、結婚すると夫婦は妻の村に住む。トゥピ諸集団の多くはかつて村を単位として絶えず戦争を行い、敵を食人する習慣をもっていた。さまざまな精霊を信じ、病気治療を行うシャーマンがいる。

［板橋作美］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例