Who Are the Bororo?
The Bororo (Boe) are an indigenous people of Mato Grosso state in central Brazil, numbering approximately 2,000-2,500. They speak Bororo, a language isolate (or possibly part of the Macro-Jê family). Once controlling vast territories in the central Brazilian cerrado (savanna), the Bororo are renowned for their complex social organization, elaborate mortuary rituals, and colorful featherwork. Their sophisticated dualistic social structure—dividing the community into two moieties—fascinated structural anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, who studied them in the 1930s. Despite massive territorial loss and population decline, the Bororo maintain vibrant ceremonial traditions.
Dual Organization
Bororo society is organized into two matrilineal moieties—Tugarege and Ecerae—which structure residence, marriage, ritual roles, and cosmic symbolism. Village layout reflects this duality, with houses arranged in a circle, each moiety occupying one semicircle. Marriage must be between moieties (exogamy). Each moiety contains multiple clans with specific ceremonial roles, names, songs, and ornaments. This complex dual system extends to cosmology—the natural and supernatural worlds are organized by the same dualistic principles. Lévi-Strauss's analysis of Bororo dualism became foundational to structural anthropology. Though village layout has changed, the dual organization continues structuring Bororo social and ritual life.
Funeral Rituals
Bororo funeral rituals are among Amazonia's most elaborate, lasting several months. Initial burial is followed by exhumation when flesh has decayed. The bones are then cleaned, painted with urucum (red annatto), decorated, and placed in a basket or buried in a river or lake. Throughout this process, ceremonial performances featuring elaborate feather ornaments, songs, and dances occur. The funeral integrates the deceased into the world of ancestors while reaffirming social relationships among the living. These rituals require substantial community coordination and resources, demonstrating the Bororo's continued ceremonial vitality. The rituals connect individual death to cosmic renewal.
Contemporary Bororo
Modern Bororo live in several indigenous territories in Mato Grosso, surrounded by cattle ranches and soybean farms that now cover their former homeland. The Bororo language is endangered; most Bororo speak Portuguese, and language transmission to children has weakened. Traditional ceremonies continue, though modified. The Merure Mission has both preserved and transformed Bororo culture through Salesian Catholic influence. Economic challenges include limited territorial base and agricultural encroachment. Cultural revitalization efforts focus on language, ceremonies, and crafts. How the Bororo preserve their ceremonial heritage and dualistic traditions amid the transformed Brazilian cerrado shapes this ritually sophisticated people's future.
References
- LĂ©vi-Strauss, C. (1936). \"The Social and Psychological Aspects of Chieftainship in a Primitive Tribe: The Nambikwara of Northwestern Mato Grosso\"
- Crocker, J. C. (1985). Vital Souls: Bororo Cosmology, Natural Symbolism, and Shamanism
- Viertler, R. B. (1991). A Refeição das Almas: Uma Interpretação Etnológica do Funeral dos Índios Bororo