Tupy or not Tupy, that’s the question.

This phrase was coined by Oswald de Andrade, a Brazilian writer who published in 1928 the Cannibal Manifesto, a way to provoke society to think of the Brazilian culture as a by-product of the European Culture, after it has been "eaten" along with the indigenous and African influences from the new land.  This was a quest for a national identity in the world of arts, especially.   

Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro

Tupi is the name for an extint Brazilian indigenous language, originated amongst the Tupi people and spoken by other 5 different indigenous groups in Brazil.   The word that names the famous area in Rio and also names the famous Brazilian club in London, Guanabara, is an example of an indigenous word used in current Portuguese.  The name for the cashew fruit in English comes from the Portuguese Cajú, which has originated from the indigenous "acajuá', in Tupi-Guarani ( group of more than 20 different indigenous languages). 


Oh, and the now so famous Siri for the iPhone, do you know that this is a Tupi word?  The word siri was used by the indigenous people to designate any type of crustacea (sea animal).   But I have no idea why Apple chose the word to designate their voice command software...  I love eating siris with molho de côco...      


By now you probably know that the Portuguese language spoken in this new land of Brazil is not the same as the one spoken in Europe and also, you understand that the language has suffered influences from a vast array of other European languages, African and Indigenous languages in Brazil and just as much as the Brazilian cuisine is so diverse, the language also reflects this vast multicultural  country.  


I have met a linguist once who told me that if we really want to "flavour" the culture of a group of people, we should look into their untranslatable words and expressions.   He would always mention the Brazilian word "cafuné", a word brought by the Africans, which is the act of stroking one's head with the fingers, caressing the hair.   Just like English has so many words to describe weather elements - I was amazed when I first learnt them, Portuguese has a few different ones to describe affection.  

Another example is in  the World top 10 list of untranslatable words: 


Saudade
Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” Fado music, a type of mournful singing, relates to saudade. (Altalang.com)  You can find the complete list here.


"Saudade is particularly difficult word to explain because it combines several emotions at once: fierceness, longing, yearning, pining, missing, homesickness, or all or none of the above" , says Roberto Taddei, in his excelent article "Saudade".   


So, next time a Portuguese speaking person says that she/he is feeling saudades for you, now you know that besides being a complex feeling, it can be cured by being present and near to that person. Maybe a cafuné can also help cure saudades?