page_title: Caeté people
section_title: Literary reputation
hierarchical_section_title: Caeté people / Origin of the Caeté People / Literary reputation
caption_attribution_description: (Portuguese) A ativista feminista brasileira Nisia Floresta (1810-1885)
context_page_description: The Caetés were an indigenous people of Brazil, linguistically belonging to the Tupi people.
context_section_description: The negative reputation of the Caeté people was so strong that the Caeté people even left a mark in the literary world. For example, in an influential epic written by Santa Rita Durão in 1781, the Caeté people were presented as the enemy of Diogo Álverez and Paraguaçu. The Caeté people were also featured in multiple works by the author Nisia Floresta. The poem A Lárgima de um Caheté which was written by Floresta was deemed to be unique due to her use of a Caeté Indian as the main character and hero. Both prior to and after this poem was written, standard Indianist literature selected heroes from peaceable Indian tribes who favored the Portuguese. Since these characteristics are not descriptive of the Caeté tribe, it is suggested that Floresta chose this Caeté man as a hero due to his persistence to continue fighting even while being oppressed. She used this character to show that the Caeté tribe demonstrated great courage while being mistreated meanwhile the Portuguese acted in a cowardly manner. In another work by Floresta, she incorporates a character from the Caeté tribe who is extremely barbaric in nature and expresses a great need to be civilized. These two traits the character possessed were well-known attributes of the Caeté tribe. Floresta uses this character from the Caeté tribe to represent her own desire for Brazil to become civilized at an equal status with Europe. The Caeté people suffered greatly from many oppressors but never went down without a fight. Floresta's poems used the Caeté people in a way most had never seen them and had highlighted their fierceness and independence.
caption: Nisia Floresta
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