Red Gold covers the history of the Brazilian Indians from 1500 to 1760, from the point of first contact through to their conquest by the Portuguese. The first contacts between Europeans and stone-age natives aroused mutual wonder and even admiration. The Indians appeared to the Portuguese as 'people good and of pure simplicity' and so the myth of the 'noble savage' was born. The whites seemed god-like beings whom the Indians venerated for the metal knives and axes which would help them wrest a living from the jungle. However, this uneasy friendship was not to last. The colonists revealed themselves as brutal, greed fuelled men who abused the hospitality of the Indians, using their women as concubines and their men as slaves. As if this wasn't enough. European disease and tribal vendettas - stirred by the colonists - depleted and depopulated the tribes. This terrifically comprehensive history of the impact of European settlement, details the subjugation of almost 2,500,000 people, and starts a historical trilogy of breathtaking ambition.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"'A comprehensive and absorbing account' Economist"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
John Hemming was Director of the Royal Geographical Society in London from 1975 to 1996. He has been on several surveying and environmental-research expeditions to unexplored parts of Amazonia, and has probably visited more Indian tribes than any other non-Brazilian. He is the author of fourteen books including the prize-winning The Conquest of the Incas.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much more than a formal history text.,
By
This review is from: Red Gold: The Conquest of the Brazilian Indians (Hardcover)
A terrifically comprehensive history of the impact of European settlement on the native population of Brazil. Hemming has introduced a style and content that makes this as much a story book as a formal text book. The brutal and tragic consequences of the meeting of two extremely diverse cultures are brought to life in this book, with the greed and self-righteousness of the Portugese settlers set against the innocence and primitive nature of the indigenous 'Indians'. Anybody with an interest in the history of Brazil would find this a truly fascinating read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much more than a formal history text.,
By
This review is from: Red Gold: The Conquest of the Brazilian Indians (Paperback)
A terrifically comprehensive history of the impact of European settlement on the native population of Brazil. Hemming has introduced a style and content that makes this as much a story book as a formal text book. The brutal and tragic consequences of the meeting of two extremely diverse cultures are brought to life in this book, with the greed and self-righteousness of the Portugese settlers set against the innocence and primitive nature of the indigenous 'Indians'. Anybody with an interest in the history of Brazil would find this a truly fascinating read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The book on Brazil, Uruguay and the natives,
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This review is from: Red Gold: The Conquest of the Brazilian Indians (Paperback)
This book is simply the best and one of the only books on the Indians of Brazil and Uruguay and the conquest of them. This is an amazing wide ranging study from the missionaries to the slave trade to the many indian nations in Brazil.
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