Chapter 1516 This Is a Gift From God! Addiva Do Senhor

Chapter 1516 This is the gift of the Lord! A dádiva do Senhor

The colonial camp was filled with the sounds of logging, hammering, and the clamor of sailors. It was not until in front of the wooden church that there was a rare tranquility. In this era, the belief in God is unquestionable and rules the hearts of all Europeans from top to bottom. Even the most ferocious and lawless European sailors are still afraid of the judgment of hell and the death that cannot be redeemed.

Therefore, this bond of Catholic faith also deeply connects the European countries together, forming the "God's world" in people's hearts. Within the world of God, people’s pursuit of religious virtues, their reverence for “God”, and the order brought by this belief have formed an abnormality with their cruel treatment of “heathens” and “savages” outside the world of God. A stark contrast.

So, can the "barbarians" who have converted to God be included in the "God's world" and be recognized by the European countries? This question is difficult to answer. From the birth of the Son of God to the Renaissance, it spanned too long an era. But in the current Age of Discovery, perhaps we can get a clear answer by taking those West African tribes who converted to God as examples.

That is, the upper-class nobles, chiefs and leaders among the colonial aborigines, relying on their wealth and power, can obtain "human citizenship" in the world of God after converting to God, and be accepted by the upper class of the suzerain country in small numbers, and become members of the colony. The "first class" equal to white people!

But the vast majority of ordinary tribal people, even if they convert to God, are still the "third class people" in the land of their ancestors, responsible for all the harsh labor and exploitation. As for the "second class people", there is no doubt that they are the descendants of the colonists who emerged after the white people mixed blood. They are also the only colonial group that the colonists are willing to believe and arm themselves with.

Continental Europe's colonization of Africa and the New World has indeed brought about progress in productivity and an increase in total wealth. However, the distribution of colonial wealth became further polarized. Not only was the exploitation of the lower-class indigenous people extremely cruel, but the entire colony was also continuously plundered. The suzerain country's plunder of the colonies, regardless of belief or equality, is to continuously transport the wealth produced by the colonies back to the motherland. At the same time, poverty and wealth-producing labor will forever be left to the colonial tribes, especially the lowest aborigines...

"God bless you! So, can this barbarian from the New World who converted to God be considered a people of God?"

When Bruno walked to the wooden church with fish soup, this question suddenly came to his mind. But for him, and the vast majority of sailors and soldiers, the answer to this question is simple, very simple, and does not even require thinking.

"Father Faria is an influential man. He is willing to protect these defenseless 'yellow-skinned monkeys', then the 'monkeys' are the people of God! If one day Father Faria is no longer there, or is unwilling to protect them, Oh, these 'yellow-skinned monkeys' are still so defenseless...haha..."

Bruno raised the corners of his mouth, showed a kind smile, and looked into the interior of the wooden church. I saw Father Faria with a gentle expression, holding a piece of parchment, sitting opposite the hunter A tapir wearing a wooden cross amulet. He picked up something from time to time, gesticulating and talking at the same time, with a very serious expression that Bruno didn't dare to disturb.

"What is this in your fanny pack? What's it called? ...Huh? 'Cajú'? 'Okaru Tembi'u'?"

"This, cashew nut! 'Karu', cashew nut! 'Okaru', food. 'Tambiu', food...Cashew nut, food to eat! Delicious!..."

The hunter tapir kept gesticulating, and even put the cashew nuts, a specialty of Brazil, to his mouth and made an "eating" motion. Father Faria looked at it for a moment and gradually understood. He picked up the quill, spelled out three "new words" in Tupi on the parchment, and marked them in Portuguese. Then he took out a ball of white powder from Api's pocket again and asked.

"This, Okaro, Tambiu? Yuca?"

When he heard the Taíno word for cassava, "yuca," the hunter tapir was startled. He felt a little familiar, but he couldn't remember it at all.

The Taino people are a branch of the Arawacan tribes. They did migrate northward from the South American continent to the Caribbean islands hundreds of thousands of years ago, bringing cassava crops with them. Tribes that speak the Arawacan language are also widely distributed in the Amazon Basin from the northern coast of South America to the Andes Mountains. However, the difficult access to the Brazilian plateau separates the Tupi tribes in the east and the Aravakan tribes in the west. Contact between the two sides definitely exists, but like the shadows in the legends of their ancestors, they are too far away to connect.

Except for the Andes and the Pampa, the rainforests and plateaus of the entire South American continent are in an extremely loose and divided tribal state. Can such a loosely organized indigenous tribe resist colonization from Europe? The answer seems clear. The current status of colonization on the West African coast seems to be the future of South America.

However, reality is always crueler than expected! When mosquitoes and rats from the African continent come to this South American tropical rain forest, this natural "fertile soil for plague", not only the millions of indigenous people will be completely wiped out... even the Europeans themselves, It is impossible to colonize and develop in the undeveloped "plague rainforest"!

The final choice is undoubtedly the fully loaded slave ships from east to west, from West Africa to South America... As for now, it is the last brief tenderness before death in the rich South American rainforest~~

"Ah, this is food. But it is not 'yuca', it is 'mandioca', 'cassava'!"

Hearing this, Father Faria pondered for a while, and wrote down the "cassava" and "mandioca" in Tupi language. Then, he pointed to the toucan feather headdress of the hunter A-tup and asked again.

"What is this?..."

"It is 'Pína Tukana Cocar'! 'Pina', feathers. 'Tucana', toucan. 'Coca', worn on the head! Toucan feather headdress..."

Speaking of this, the hunter A-tup raised the bright toucan headdress and made a 'wearing' gesture. Then, he stroked this "sacred forest ornament" with reverence and joy on his face, and told the priest who was close to him.

"The Toucan Tucana is the messenger of the natural forest, with the divinity of the natural spirit! Its feathers can bring good luck and protection, bless the hunters in the forest, and also bless the villages and tribes! The natural spirit protects us like the forest!..."

Looking at the hunter tapir with a face full of reverence, Father Faria suddenly frowned, and his gentle eyes suddenly showed coldness. Although he didn't understand what the other party said, the other party's "idolatry" posture, if placed in the world of God, would undoubtedly be blasphemy!

Of course, this is the New World after all, a group of uncivilized barbarians waiting for missionary guidance. In the eyes of the church, the natural worship of these barbarians is far from being as evil and stubborn as the "Star and Moon Pagans". They are "lambs" who can lead and potential "believers" of God. And for the sake of the merciful Lord, the indigenous people of the New World converted, which was also the reason why I left the Lisbon Church and went through hardships to come to this wild land...

"May the Lord bless you! Dear Baron Bruno, you are back?..."

Father Faria was silent for a moment, and suddenly turned his head to look at Bruno at the door. Bruno smiled and saluted the priest, glanced at the hunter A-tapir who stopped talking and was nervous and fearful, and strode into the church.

"Yes! May the Lord bless us, we finally returned smoothly from the exploration of the southern coast!"

"Praise the Lord! How is the exploration of the southern coast going this time?"

"Alas! We didn't find the end of the southern coast. The vastness of the southern continent is beyond our wildest imagination! This is a long story..."

Bruno shook his head and handed the fish soup in his hand to Father Faria.

"Respected priest, you should drink the soup first! It will get cold soon..."

"Yes. Thank you! Baron Bruno."

Father Faria nodded slightly, took the fish soup and drank a sip, then suddenly stopped. Then, he handed the fish soup in his hand to the hunter A-tui and asked again.

"What is this?"

"?... This is 'Pirá Tembi'u', which means 'food made of fish'!"

"Very good! 'Okalu', eat! Eat!"

A correct version in 16-9-1 book-1 forum!

"...?"

The hunter A-tui was startled, looked at the smiling Father Faria for a while, and then looked at Bruno next to him, the "tribal warrior" with a scimitar and whose identity could not be seen. Then, he carefully drank a sip of the fish soup, and his eyes lit up instantly!

"Ah! Salty? Salt? Such salty fish soup? How much good salt must be put in it?!..."

The hunter A-tsuba was surprised and delighted. He had never tasted such salty fish soup. For the jungle tribes that practice slash-and-burn farming and migratory hunting, "salt" is one of the most valuable tribal wealth, but the output in the jungle is very small. Unexpectedly, these Karai outsiders on the seaside could put so much salt in the soup? They also have big ships and shining axes, they must be very rich! ...

"Haha! A-tsuba, is the fish soup delicious?..."

"Ah? This is, very good food. Very good!..."

Seeing the happy answer of the Tupi hunter A-tsuba, Father Faria nodded with satisfaction. Then, he stood up, drew a cross on A-tsuba's forehead, and spoke in an extremely serious tone.

"A tapir, you need to remember! This is not 'Pila, Tambiu', not 'food made of fish'!"

"Ah?..."

"This is 'A dádiva do Senhor', this is 'the gift of the Lord'! 'Fish', 'ΙΧΘΥΣ' (Icthys), Iēsous Christos Theou Hyios Sōtēr! 'Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior!'. 'Fish' is the faith and fellow believers of Christ, do you understand?!"

"This gift of 'fish' is only given to 'the people of God'! And only if you convert to the Lord, only if your tribe converts to the Lord, you can have this gift and eat 'food made of fish'! Otherwise..."

Father Faria looked solemn, even stern, and in front of Bruno, he declared "the gift of the Lord and conversion" in Portuguese! Then, he turned around, nodded lightly to the respectful Bruno, and walked out of the wooden church.

Inside the church, only the Tupi hunter A-tup was left holding fish soup. He stared blankly at the priest's elongated back, not understanding anything. Why did the priest, who was always gentle and approachable, suddenly become stern and even frightening? He only had an inexplicable feeling, that is, the priest's back, as distant and tall as a cross, swallowing him with its shadow, and then swallowing him towards his homeland further west~~