Nimuendajú, Curt

Contributed to

Social organization and beliefs of the Botocudo of eastern Brazil
article 1946

Summary: Curt Unckel Nimuendajú was a German-Brazilian ethnologist, anthropologist, and writer. His works are fundamental for the understanding of the religion and cosmology of some native Brazilian Indians, especially the Guaraní people. He received the surname "Nimuendajú" from the Apapocuva subgroup of the Guaraní people, meaning "the one who made himself a home", one year after living among them. Upon taking Brazilian citizenship in 1922, he officially added the Nimuendajú as one of his surnames. On his obituary, his Brazilian-German colleague Herbert Baldus called him "perhaps the greatest Indianista of all time". Wikipedia
Gender or Sex: Male [1][2][3][4]
Born: 1883-04-17 [2]
Birth Place: Jena [2][4]
Died: 1945-12-10 [2]
Death Place: Santa Rita do Weil, Brésil [3]; Amazonas [4]
Country: Brazil [2]; Germany [2]
Language: Portuguese [3]
Occupation: anthropologist [4]

Sources: 1. VIAF; 2. Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (Germany); 3. Bibliothèque nationale de France; 4. Wikidata

Last updated Jun 14, 2025