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Reaching Germanic Peoples of South Brazil

The Germanic People of Southern Brazil

What kind of people are German-Brazilians?

Are they friendly? Do all of the German-Brazilians walk around in ‘Lederhosen’ drinking beer and eating sausages? Are they descendants of fugitive Nazis? Are they Brazilian or are they German? Who do they root for in the World Cup? Are they deserving of their nicknames like 'German Potato', 'Colonist' and 'Sour Kraut?’ German-Brazilians have been the victims of cultural stereotypes and misconceptions within Brazil and throughout the world. The horrible events of World War 2 and the subsequent arrival of Nazi war criminals to South America continues to affect people’s conceptions of  this culture that is both an industrial and agricultural center in South America. The German-Brazilian is like us working hard to give their children the very best that life offers. The family is the center of the culture and it is every parents desire to leave this world a better place than what they found. They see the future as disturbing because their culture is changing dramatically with each passing generation.
 
 What language do they speak?

There are approximately 2.5 million German-Brazilians in the state of Rio Grande do Sul alone. It is estimated that well over 1,000,000 speak a Germanic language called Hunsrikiche Xprach as their heart language. This occurs in the rural areas throughout Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Paraná. These are the three southernmost states in Brazil. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese and most German-Brazilians have learned to speak it. However, there are people who live in rural German-Brazilian communities who only speak Hunsrikiche Xprach. It is also known to be spoken in Argentina and Paraguay as well. In all of Brazil there is said  to be some 5-7 million Germanic language speakers. Hunsriker makes up about 4 million of these. Pomeranian speakers also make up a sizable number. Neither group has created a standard form for writing their languages. However, there is growing interest in preserving these new Germanic languages.
 
 Contributions to Brazil?

German immigrants first arrived to Southern Brazil in 1825. Today their descendants produce potatoes, soybean, corn, tobacco, fish and livestock having turned the South from wilderness into a 'Breadbasket.' They have been instrumental in the industrialization of Brazil and are today among the world leaders in producing woman’s shoes, leather goods, furniture, textiles, charcoal, and have an extensive infrastructure for tourism. In the making of shoes they are third behind China and India. The educational, social, and medical infrastructure is so advanced it is said that the German-Brazilian regions are ‘first world.’  Their cities are often cited as having some of the highest standards of living in all of Brazil. Today the German-Brazilian is finding new ways to express their cultural identity through the many 'Fests' that take place throughout Southern Brazil. Today Brazil hosts an 'Oktoberfest' in Blumenau, Santa Catarina which is second only to Munich, Germany in size.

The Spiritual Reality?

They are best characterized as a Catholic people. In large urban areas they tend to be secular as a whole. In the rural regions they follow a folk religion mixed with many superstitions. Some of these do include witchcraft. Each group hopes to preserve their culture through infant baptism, confirmation, weddings, and funerals carried out under the authority of the Catholic Church. The concept of personal contact with God is foreign with saints (dead believers) being revered and prayed to as personal intercessors among the faithful. They do not feel they are worthy to converse directly with God. Instead they believe that these ‘saints’ can work miracles for them and this lends to their valorization of pictures and images of the deceased, their tombs, and even threads of their clothing. Today, many young people who are becoming secularized more each day are being attracted to atheism, African Spiritism, or to cults.

Last Updated on 07/09/2007

Copyright 2007 German Team
Brazil, IMB, SBC