Commentary on the journal of Lourens Lourenszoon (1618-1625) and his stay among the Arocouros on the Lower Cassiporé River, Amapá (Brazil)

Abstract

This commentary presents an overview of the place of Lourens Lourenszoon's account of his captivity among the Arocouros (Palikur) Indians in relation to other contemporary sources on the native peoples of Guyana. In particular the claims as to witnessing of both cannibalism as well as the capture of a 'headless-man' provide a rich context in which to situate broader issues of ethnographic epistemology and eye-witness observation. Such marvels and monstrosities are closely associated with early wring on the Americas and in this way the account of Lourens Lourenszoon is an important addition to the debates on interpretation of historical documents across cultural space. This new translation also provides important demographic and geographical information on the situation of the native population of the Cassiporé River and region of Amapá (Brazil) in the early seventeenth century that can inform further archaeological, ethnohistorical and ethnographic investigation.