Verdadera Historia y Descripcion de un Pais de Salvajes Desnudos, Feroces y Caníbales

_Verdadera Historia y Descripcion de un Pais de Salvajes Desnudos, Feroces y Caníbales_ (1557) by Hans Staden is an extraordinary first-person account of a German soldier’s survival and captivity among the Tupinambas in 16th-century Brazil. This seminal work, edited by Jean-Paul Duviols, offers a unique window into the early European encounter with the “Land of the Cannibals,” a region rich in indigenous cultures and trade in brazilwood.

Staden’s narrative details his two perilous voyages to Brazil and his harrowing nine-month captivity, during which he faced the constant threat of ritualistic consumption. He meticulously describes the Tupinamba’s semi-nomadic life, their social organization, and, crucially, their systematic cannibalistic rituals, which he asserts were driven by vengeance rather than hunger. His eyewitness testimony, accompanied by detailed woodcut illustrations, forms a foundational document for ethnography and travel literature.

Beyond the gripping adventure, Staden’s work profoundly influenced European debates on “barbarism” and “civilization,” notably inspiring Michel de Montaigne’s renowned essay “Of Cannibals.” This edition, with its invaluable insights into colonial history and indigenous cultures, remains a vital resource for understanding the complex dynamics of the encounter between worlds.