Sertão, sertões: colonização, conflitos e história indígena em Pernambuco no período pombalino (1759 – 1798)

Abstract

In the middle of eighteenth century, there was a politics change that was planned by Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado, the Governor of Grão-Pará do Maranhão between Portuguese crown to the Indians that was considered in a single law which is knowed for the historiography for the Indians Directory or for the Pombalino directory. Some studies show us that pombalinas reforms in the Brazil have basically three points: economic, political-administrative, cultural-teaching. In the captaincy of Pernambuco, furthermore theses three aims, the directory was responsible for bring “peace” and “stillness” to the unrefined backwoods that was considered a cattleman region linked with the main colonial mercantile activities, did not enjoy stability and tranquility desired by society and crown. In this period, there are news about Indians groups like: Paraquió, Xocó, Mangueza, Pipãe and others, causing destruction to cattle farms of the region, creating panic and instability in the towns and villages. These Indian incursions woks like a strategic to the implantation of the new Indians politics that view incorporate or reincorporate the Indians divided in villages established, become this villages controlled by the government. At this assignment we will discuss the process of implantation of new Indian politics trying to understand how the natives living with the social force that tried to control them with this news politics and how the backwoods of Pernambuco become ,from the action of this Indians that participated of the change, making conflicts and alliances like a resistance way, as well as understand the process of developed of people already organized in villages had helped in the implementation of the new guidelines.