| has gloss | eng: Jagunço, from the Portuguese zarguncho (a weapon of African origin, similar to a short lance or chuzo) was the name applied to armed hands or bodyguards, usually hired by farmers and "colonels" in the backlands of the Northeast of Brazil. They were hired to protect their employer's lands against invaders and feudal enemies, and also to control their slaves and indentured servants. Some farmers formed their own private militias with a number of heavily armed jagunços. There were also free-lancing or mercenary jagunços, who could be hired for temporary conflicts, as vigilantes, or for contract murders. Local folklore says that jagunços with yellow eyes are particularly fearsome and efficient. |
