A jagunço (), from the
Portuguese ''zarguncho'' (a weapon of African origin, similar to a short
lance
The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...
or ''chuzo''), is an armed band or
bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...
, usually hired by
plantation
Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...
owners and "colonels" in the
backlands of
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, especially in
Northeastern Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil ( ) is one of the five official and political regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises nine: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, R ...
. They were hired to protect their employer, big land owner, against invaders and feudal enemies, and also to control their
slave
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
s and
indentured servant
Indentured servitude is a form of Work (human activity), labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as paymen ...
s. Some farmers formed their own private
militia
A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
s with a number of heavily armed jagunços. There were also free-lancing or
mercenary
A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...
jagunços, who could be hired for temporary conflicts, as
vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority.
A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...
s, or for
contract murders. Local folklore says that jagunços with yellow eyes were particularly fearsome and efficient.
The term was later extended to name any kind of rural bandit or outlaw, such as the "
cangaceiros" (of which
Lampião
"Captain" Virgulino Ferreira da Silva (; 7 June 1897 – 28 July 1938), better known as Lampião (older spelling: ''Lampeão'', , meaning "lantern" or "oil lamp"), was probably the most successful traditional Brazilian bandit leader of the 20th c ...
is the most notorious example).
[Chandler, 2000.] It was also applied as a pejorative term for the inhabitants of
Canudos
Canudos is a municipality in the northeast region of Bahia, Brazil. The original town, since flooded by the Cocorobó Dam, was the scene of violent clashes between peasants and republican police in the 1890s.
The municipality contains part of ...
, a village founded by the religious
mystic and
messianic leader
Antônio Conselheiro in the backlands of the state of
Bahia
Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...
. The village was destroyed in October 1897 during the
War of Canudos
The War of Canudos (, , 1896–1897) was a conflict between the First Brazilian Republic and the residents of Canudos in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern state of Bahia. It was waged in the aftermath of the Lei Áurea, abolition of sl ...
.
See also
*
Cangaço
''Cangaço'' () was a phenomenon of Northeast Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This region of Brazil is known for its aridness and hard way of life, and in a form of "social banditry" against the government, many men and women d ...
*
The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
Notes
Sources
*
Hobsbawm, Eric ''Bandits'' London, 1969.
* Chandler, Billy Jaynes. ''Bandit King: Lampião of Brazil'' Texas A&M University Press, 2000. .
* Seal, Graham. ''Outlaw Heroes in Myth and History'' Anthem Press, 2011. .
* Waggoner, John ''Brazil Adventure Guide'' Hunter Publishing, Inc. 2008. .
Brazilian rebels
Paramilitary organisations based in Brazil
Empire of Brazil
{{Brazil-hist-stub