A Tupi Indian of Brazil appears in this Adoration of the Magi, only a few years after Portuguese encounters with the indigenous people of that region of South America. Of note, the Black Magus, which became standard in Renaissance European paintings of the Adoration, is replaced by the Tupi, who is or is not an accurate depiction of what Tupis dressed like. The feathered headdress would suggest accuracy, but most depictions of the Tupi in the 16th century depict naked savages who were reputedly cannibals. The following map depicts Brazil in the early 16th century, with depictions of Tupi that are more akin to European perceptions of them, as well as the cutting of brazilwood, :
This image, from Hans Staden, encapsulates European perceptions of Tupi savagery, seen in allegations of cannibalism and their nudity. A parallel development in the Spanish-dominated Caribbean, the alleged cannibalism of Carib indigenous people, has also been of controversy since allegations of cannibalism could be used to justify European colonial rule over sub-human savages or natural slaves, a la Aristotelian Politics. However, since no irrefutable evidence of widespread cannibalism seems to exist for the Caribbean and Brazil, it remains a debate. But notice how the depiction of Tupi cannibals here are naked, look almost European in their facial features, and deviates so much from the Tupi Indian of the Adoration painting. It is likely that the painter wanted to convey the humanity of the Tupi and include them within the sons of Adam according to Christian cosmology and the origins of the world, which would explain the almost European-styled clothes the Tupi wears.
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