The Curupira in twentieth-century Brazilian ethnography

Record summary

Curupira is a widely documented Brazilian forest being, often characterized by backward feet, red hair, and protection of animals or forests. Early twentieth-century folklore and ethnographic publications record substantial regional variation, including overlap with Caipora and related guardian figures. It matters for cryptid comparison because later writers sometimes describe the Curupira as a “wild man,” while the source traditions emphasize ethics, hunting, and environmental order. The historical question is how colonial, Indigenous, and literary transmission shaped the modern composite image.