On December 2, 2007 the anthropologist David Maybury-Lewis died in Cambridge (Massachusetts). In this article, the Author tells how a British citizen, born in Pakistan, chose Brazil as a field for anthropological studies, taking the Shavante Society as his research object. As a professor at Harvard University since 1961, he continued his strong link with the Brazilian ethnology, having been supervisor of important Brazilian anthropologists. Endowed with a strong personal friendly style, he became a friend of several colleagues. His research with the Sherente and Shavante is a great contribution to our ethnology. He played an important role in founding the Graduate Program in Anthropology at the Museu Nacional. In 2001 he was one of the speakers at the Annual Meeting of Anpocs.
Brazilian ethnology; Xavante Indians; Xerente Indians; Harvard University; Maybury-Lewis