Mapinguari

Lore & Background

The name Mapinguari derives from the Tupi-Guarani mbaé-pi-guari, meaning 'the thing that has a clubbed, twisted, or backwards-turned foot.' Among the Karitiana people, it is known as Kida harara ('laughing beast'), Kida so'emo ('beast with black face'), or Owoj/Owojo ('maternal grandfather'). Some authors relate it to the Segamai of the Machiguenga people of Peru, though ethnologist Glenn H. Shepard identified a different Machiguenga creature, Oshetoniro ('mother of spider monkeys'), as equivalent. The Juma has also been cited as another name, though Candace Slater distinguishes them as different beings grouped as types of Curupiras.

The Mapinguari is described as a giant monkey with a monkey-like face, hairy like a spider monkey but human-sized or larger, with backwards-oriented donkey-like hooves and a large mouth on its face. Its long hair is dense enough to be bulletproof except near the navel. In Acre, it is said to have crocodilian-like hard-shelled skin and feet shaped like pestles or Brazil nut capsules; in Tefé, Amazonas, a shell similar to a turtle's. It has a single eye in either the belly or forehead. The Mapinguari is a man-eater that eats victims head-first, chewing the head slowly. It may be nocturnal, crepuscular, or diurnal, and announces itself with loud screaming. Some accounts say it twists bacaba palm trees to the ground to feed on palm heart and fruit.

Reader's Guide

The Mapinguari holds significance as a composite figure in Brazilian folklore, blending elements from indigenous, Afro-Brazilian, and European traditions. Câmara Cascudo suggested it arose from the Gorjala, Pé de Garrafa, Curupira, and Matutiú. It shares similarities with the Afro-Brazilian Quibungo, both being hairy man-eaters with a vertical mouth from face to stomach, and both originating from men who grow exceedingly old. The backwards feet feature is shared with mythical human tribes across South America, and the single eye appears in Greek Cyclops, European Ogre, and other Brazilian beings like the Labatut, Capelobo, and Curupira.

In cryptozoology, Bernard Heuvelmans speculated it was an unknown primate akin to Bigfoot, while Monteiro conjectured it was based on the Andean spectacled bear. David C. Oren proposed in 1993 that the Mapinguari might be based on sightings of an extinct ground sloth, citing osteoderm armor and thick ribs leaving the belly vulnerable—matching the creature's bulletproof description except near the navel. Oren dismissed the single eye as European colonial influence, a point also raised by Cascudo. Ethnologist Gerard H. Shepard identified the Oshetoniro with a folk memory of a ground sloth. The Mapinguari remains a subject of debate between folklorists and cryptozoologists, with no consensus on its origin.

Did You Know?

• The Mapinguari is said to be bulletproof except near the navel, which is the only vulnerable spot.
• David C. Oren suggested the Mapinguari might be based on sightings of an extinct ground sloth, citing its armored skin and vulnerable belly.