Abstract

MIRANDA, Bruno Romero Ferreira  and  DANTAS, Mariana Albuquerque. A Government of Indigenous Peoples: Administration, Land, and Work in the State of Brazil during the Portuguese Empire (1548-1822). e-JPH [online]. 2021, vol.19, n.2, pp.25-50.  Epub Dec 31, 2021. ISSN 1645-6432.  https://doi.org/10.26300/5bt0-4s02.

The colonial administration and management of the indigenous peoples of Brazil has been a recurrent theme in historiography. However, the Amerindians themselves, important actors in the process of constructing colonial society, are largely absent from the historical literature. This article’s objective is to critically debate, using modern historiographic methods and theory, three important aspects for understanding the governance of the Amerindians of Brazil: the religious administration, the control of native lands, and the management of their labor. This requires consideration of the indigenous people as actors in their own history and of their actions of resistance, adaptation, and negotiation when engaging with the colonial powers.

Keywords : Amerindian peoples; Colonial aldeias; Amerindian lands; Amerindian labor; Amerindians as historical agents.

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