Martius, the Indigenous Cannibals, and the Peacemaking Fern
The curious story behind Martius's “peacemaking fern”
CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Fernando B. Matos & Lana Sylvestre
Flora Brasiliensis: Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. See Urban Plate 25 (1906)CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Spix and Martius in the Amazon
Spix Reiseatlas original 67 (1823) by Johann Baptist von Spix, Carl Friedrich Philipp von MartiusOriginal Source: Wikimedia Commons
Martius' goal on this journey (from December 12, 1819, to March 2, 1820), besides continuing his botanical studies, was to meet some of the indigenous tribes that still lived “in their primitive state” along the Japurá River.
Porto dos Miranhas, Rio Japurá (1823) by Johann Baptist von Spix, Carl Friedrich Philipp von MartiusOriginal Source: Wikimedia Commons
Porto dos Miranhas
In the second half of the journey, having already crossed the current border between Brazil and Colombia, Martius stopped at Porto dos Miranhas. His entourage was warmly received by over 50 men from the tribe, who promptly led them to their leader.
Port of Miranhas (1820) by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868)Original Source: Wikimedia Commons
Chief João Manuel
The chief went by the Christian name João Manuel. He was known and feared throughout the upper Japurá, as he made his living selling indigenous slaves to whites and led one of the most powerful tribes in the region. With one curious detail: they were cannibals!
Miranhas (1823) by Johann Baptist von Spix, Carl Friedrich Philipp von MartiusOriginal Source: Instituto Moreira Salles
And so Martius reported:
“This was a tribe of robust, well-proportioned natives with dark skin. Their broad chests matched the width of their faces, which appeared even wider due to the bizarre custom of flaring their nostrils. The sharpening of their canine teeth further contributed to their fierce appearance.”
Spix Reiseatlas original 61 by Johann Baptist von Spix, Carl Friedrich Philipp von MartiusOriginal Source: Wikimedia Commons
Araracoara Waterfall
Martius was keen to trade with these Miranhas, but Chief João Manuel had left to resolve a conflict nearby. Martius took advantage of his absence to continue his journey upstream, reaching the Araracoara Waterfall on January 28, 1820.
Porto dos Miranhas, Rio Japurá (1823) by Johann Baptist von Spix, Carl Friedrich Philipp von MartiusOriginal Source: Wikimedia Commons
After reaching the westernmost point of his journey, Martius returned to Porto dos Miranhas, where he spent about 10 days before heading back to Belém. His health was severely weakened and he still needed to complete the construction of a canoe to transport his collections.
Trade
One day, Martius reports being shocked to see Chief João Manuel returning from a trip with about 30 warriors and some prisoners, including women and children. It became clear to him that the chief intended to exchange all those prisoners for his goods.
Bartering
“It was, therefore, difficult for him to understand when I offered him as many axes and knives for the feather ornament, the weapons, and a beautiful fan-shaped fern (Schizaea) as he expected to receive for the prisoners.” The fern is now housed in the Munich herbarium.
A new species!
Upon returning to Europe, Martius re-examined the specimen and discovered it was a new species to science. The species was described and illustrated in his ‘Icones Plantarum Cryptogamicarum’ under the name Schizaea pacificans (meaning the “pacifying” Schizaea).
Meaning of the name
In the original work, besides a magnificent color illustration for the species, Martius also provides an explanation for the name: “This unique specimen was given to me as a token of friendship by the chief of the Miranhas when he brought home the enemy prisoners from the west.”
Newspaper article, 1925
Interestingly, alongside the holotype of the species, there is a German newspaper article entitled ‘The bloody history of the peace fern in the Munich herbarium.’ This article was published in 1925, almost 60 years after Martius’ death, and recounts the same story we have seen here.
Bradea (2023-04-06)CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Bradea Magazine, 1969
In 1969, the species was chosen as the emblem of the Brazilian scientific journal Bradea, “for being a Pteridophyte, a plant group that was greatly admired by our patron (A.C. Brade), and for signifying the symbol of peace among indigenous tribes in the interior of Brazil”.
Other new species
Martius also described two other species of the genus Schizaea. Like the “pacifying fern,” these two other species were also collected during the trip down the Japurá River.
Miranha and Juri, Spix travel atlas. by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius and Photo: Klaus SchönitzerOriginal Source: Freunde der ZSM
Beyond plants
However, it wasn't all sunshine and flowers: in the exchanges with Chief João Manuel, Martius ended up agreeing to take five of his prisoners. Only two of them arrived alive in Munich, but that’s a subject for another story. Stay tuned.
Research and writing: Fernando B. Matos (CRIA) & Lana Sylvestre (UFRJ)
Assembly: Fernando B. Matos (CRIA)
Review: Luiza F.A. de Paula (CRIA/UFMG), Renato De Giovanni (CRIA)
References: Flora Brasiliensis (http://florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br/opus), Travels in Brazil (https://www2.senado.leg.br/bdsf/handle/id/573991)
Additional information: http://florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br/stories
Acknowledgments: All the authors of the images and characters in the story, especially Dr. Hans-Joachim Esser, curator of pteridophytes and monocotyledons at the Munich herbarium, for providing images of the type specimen of Schizaea pacificans.
*Every effort has been made to credit the images, audio, and video and correctly recount the episodes narrated in the exhibitions. If you find errors and/or omissions, please email contato@cria.org.br
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