Claude Levi-Strauss (* 28. November 1908 in Brussles; † 30. October 2009 in Paris) published his travel report Tristes Tropiques 1955 in french language. This report is based on the trips he took to the inner of Brazil in the years 1935-1938. A part of the book describes his search and contact with the indigenous tribes of the Mato Grosso the third largest state of Brazil. The Caduveo who are focused in this essay is one of them. The aim of the essay is to discuss the approach that Claude Lévi-Strauss uses to analyze the art of the Caduveo tribe and to show why this approach is labeled as structuralism. It will also try to draw a connection between this approach and the scientific study of language - the lingustics.
The Caduveo …show more content…
After that the tribe was massivly reduced mostly by diseases. The tribe was first time mentioned by explorers from europe in the 16th century. In 18th centaury the Caduveo came in contact and under the influence of jesuit missionaries. The Caduveo were organized by three castes. The top caste of the social ladder were the nobles, who could be noble by birth or been raised to the nobility. The nobles were also devided in junior and senior branches. The secondcaste is formed by warriors and the third caste by slaves. The slaves, who usually were members of other tribes, also devided themselves for their own purposes into three castes like the example of their