THE CURUPIRA MYTH FROM THE COSMOVISION OF THE AMAZONIAN INTERIOR: REALITY, TRADITION AND ANCESTRY

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a research carried out as part of the Bachelor's Degree in Literature/Spanish at the Federal University of Pará /Castanhal (2021-2022), whose main objective was to approach the Curupira myth and analyse it from the worldview of the Amazonian and Paraná interior. We focused on reflecting on the role played by this supernatural being in the daily life of the so-called povos da floresta (forest peoples) and observing how ancestral traditions are preserved to this day through oral tradition. To do this, we go into the interior of the great forest through forty (40) oral stories and discover some of the secrets it holds. The narratives about Curupira are a valuable source of information that is fundamental to know many of the mysteries of Mother Nature, since through this way it is possible to (re)know, preserve and make known memories, secrets, realities and ancestral traditions that we hardly know. All this through stories starring the tutelary genius of the forest, the most vivid god of the tropical forests, according to Cascudo (2010). For data collection, spontaneous and friendly interviews were conducted (MAGÁN, 2010), through fieldwork. The results have shown that Curupira is as much a part of the Amazon as water, land and air. Thus, it is concluded that this mythological being, transmitted from generation to generation through orality, can even be more exemplary and efficient than our own laws, which are often flouted and unfulfilled (COLOMBRES, 2016).