Hans Staden he was a German traveler and mercenary who is known for having made two trips to Brazil in the 16th century. Hans Staden was born in the city of Homberg, Germany, in the year 1525. In the year 1548, he decided to take a trip to America. His account was particularly famous for being a prisoner of the tupinambás, for nine months, and after his release he wrote an account that became famous in Europe in the Modern Age.
Hans Staden's account, of course, is loaded with his religious morals and yours ethnocentric view, but it brings valuable information about the tupinambás culture and about the practice of anthropophagy (cannibalism). The German mercenary was threatened during the nine months of being killed and eaten by the Tupinambás, but was eventually released.
The book written by Hans Staden was released in Germany in 1557 and is currently known in Brazil as “Two Trips to Brazil”, but its original name, when it was released in the 16th century, is: True story and description of a land of savages, naked and cruel human eaters, located in the New World of America, unknown before and after Jesus Christ in the lands of Hessen until the last two years, since Hans Staden, from Homberg, in Hessen, knew her from his own experience, and which he now brings to the public with this print.
Also access:Discover the episode in which Tupinambá Indians were taken to France
Hans Staden's Travels
Hans Staden was born in Germany and made two trips to Brazil in the 16th century.*
Hans Staden made two trips to America and, on one of them, the destination was Brazil and, on the other, the destination was Peru. Hans Staden's travels extended from 1548 to 1555 and, in this context, Europeans had just arrived on the American continent. The region corresponding to Brazil was part of the Portuguese America and, here, the main activity still developed was the exploration of brazilwood.
In the context of the arrival of Hans Staden in Brazil, the model of General Government was being deployed here with Tome de Sousa, being the country's first governor general. Portuguese America was divided into hereditary captaincies, model of territorial division established in 1534.
As mentioned, Hans Staden's account reproduces the values of the common man of the Modern age. His speech was extremely religious, and his view of a different culture (in this case, the indigenous) was marked by estrangement and ethnocentrism. Therefore, it is common, throughout the text, Hans Staden to refer to indigenous peoples as “savages”.
First travel
Hans Staden's first trip took place in the spring of 1548. Hans Staden left his hometown, Homberg, and went to Bremen (Germany). Then he headed to Kampen (Netherlands) and from there to Setúbal and finally Lisbon, Portugal. There he managed to join a ship called Hairstyle, who sailed to Brazil with the purpose of trading.
The vessel that Hans Staden used to travel was also armed for combat, in case they saw a French vessel negotiating with the natives, they should open fire. This was because, according to the Treaty of Tordesillas, America had been divided between Spanish and Portuguese, but the French, not accepting this division, invaded places in America – like Brazil.
Throughout Brazil's history, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the French actually tried to establish a colony here. In the region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, they tried to establish the Antarctic France, and, in the region of the city of São Luís, they tried to establish the Equinoctial France, both colonization projects failed. In addition, they allied themselves with indigenous people who were hostile to the Portuguese – such as the Tamoios.
During the trip, Hans Staden assumed the role of gunner. The Portuguese vessel that Hans Staden was on went to Madeira, from there to Caho Ghir (Cape Gué) and then to Pernambuco, where an indigenous revolt broke out. Hans Staden, his traveling companions and inhabitants of the captaincy got together and fought against eight thousand indigenous people.
After defeating the indigenous people, they left for Paraíba to collect Brazilwood and saw a French vessel negotiating with natives in the region. They opened fire, but had the ship's mast severely damaged by a French shot, which forced them to return to Portugal. On the way back, the insufficient amount of food made Hans Staden's expedition suffer from hunger.
second trip
After returning to Portugal, Hans Staden moved to Spain, where he found a expedition that was heading to Peru with the planned route that would cross the mouth of the Rio da Silver. Hans Staden's second voyage departed Sanlúcar and passed through the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and São Tomé. After that they headed for America.
During the journey, Hans Staden narrated that a storm separated the ships of his expedition (there were three). The ship that was Hans Staden approached the coast of the São Vicente region and then left for the island of Santa Catarina, where they waited for the other ships to arrive. Later, the second ship arrived on the island (the third ship disappeared), and preparations were made to continue the voyage.
When everything was ready, something unexpected happened: the main ship sank. Hans Staden did not give details of how this happened. After this incident, he reported that he and his companions remained on the island of Santa Catarina for two years, in a period that, he claimed, faced many dangers and famine.
After this period, the members of the expedition decided to leave the island of Santa Catarina towards Asunción, in Paraguay. The members of the expedition split into two groups, one of which would head for Asunción on foot. Hans Staden claimed that many members of this group died along the way, but others managed to reach Asuncion.
The other group, of which Hans Staden was a part, would reach Asuncion with the remaining ship. As the ship was small, they decided to go to São Vicente to charter a larger ship to take them to Asunción. During the trip to São Vicente, a storm wrecked the ship Hans Staden was on. The survivors spotted a small Christian village called Itanhaém, which was close to São Vicente.
In São Vicente, Hans Staden was invited by the Portuguese to work as a top scorer in a strong under construction in the region of Bertioga, and that it gave protection to Saint Vincent. Hans Staden's employment contract was initially for four months, but was later extended for two years. In Bertioga, the Portuguese fought against the Tupinambás.
Fort of São João da Bertioga built in the period that Hans Staden was present in the region.
One day, while hunting, Hans Staden was surprised by several Indians who captured him and took him prisoner. Hans Staden's imprisonment took place in order for him to be killed and devoured by the Tupinambás. This happened because the Tupinambás were anthropophagous, that is, they were cannibals. The Tupinambás believed that by devouring human flesh they would acquire the qualities of their adversary.
Hans Staden's captivity lasted nine months, during which time he was beaten several times, in addition to being threatened several times. He also witnessed (and participated in) indigenous wars and left an account with details of the culture and lifestyle of the Tupinambás.
After these nine months, he was released by the French who negotiated the release of Hans Staden. The French belonged to the vessel called Catherine of Vatteville, and its captain was William of Moner. Hans Staden landed in Europe, in the city of Honfleur, France, on February 20, 1555.
Also access:Learn more about the language spoken in Brazil during Portuguese colonization
Excerpts from Hans Staden's account
About Hans Staden's report, we highlight the following excerpts:
About your capture:
“When I was walking in the forest, great screams broke out on both sides of the trail, as is common among savages. The men came towards me and I recognized that they were savages. They surrounded me, directed bows and arrows at me and fired. Then I shouted: 'God help my soul!' I hadn't even finished these words, they beat me and pushed me to the ground, fired and struck me"|1|.
The threats that Hans Staden suffered from the indigenous:
“Their customs were not as well known to me as they were later, and therefore I thought they were now preparing to kill me. But soon the brothers Nhaêpepô-oaçu and Alkindar-miri arrived, who had imprisoned me, and said that they had given me a gift to their father's brother, Ipiru-guaçu, as a sign of friendship. He would guard me and kill me when he wanted to eat me, which would, thanks to me, earn another name"|2|.
About the land and the natives:
“America is a vast land. There are many tribes of wild men there with many languages and numerous strange animals. It looks pleasant. Trees are always green. There are no woods similar to our Hessen woods growing there. Men walk around naked. (…) In that land there are also some undergrowth and arboreal fruits, on which men and animals feed. People have a reddish brown body. It comes from the sun, which burns them like that. They are a skilful people, malicious and always ready to chase and eat their enemies"|3|.
About indigenous housing:
“These cabins are about two fathoms high, round like a cellar vault at the top, and covered with a thick layer of palm leaves so that it doesn't rain inside. Inside, they are not subdivided by walls. Nobody has their own room; however, each nucleus, husband and wife, has a space of twelve feet in the longitudinal direction"|4|.
|1| STADEN, Hans. Two Trips to Brazil: first records about Brazil. Porto Alegre: L&PM, 2011, p.61-62.
|2| Idem, p. 69.
|3| Idem, p. 133.
|4| Idem, p. 136.
*Image credits: commons
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
