“O vasto teatro civilizatório”: os indígenas e o trabalho no Brasil Imperial entre 1845 a 1890 na Região do Jequitinhonha

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the reorganization of indigenous peoples in the Jequitinhonha River region, based on the Regulations of Missions and Catechesis, for the utilization of their labor by the State and private individuals as a potential alternative to the crisis generated by the end of the African slave trade, from 1845 to 1890. The timeframe is marked by Decree 426 of 1845, which is considered the first systematization of Imperial indigenous policy. The analysis extends until the 1890s when the State, during the transition to the Republic, began to adopt a stance against the continuation of catechesis and settlements in the study area. The Jequitinhonha region was chosen because it is an expanding border zone and encompasses an indigenous territory that has housed various peoples throughout its course. However, I needed to include the broader area to comprehend the dynamics of indigenous mobilities that occurred between southern Bahia and the Mucuri River Valley. Nevertheless, this is not a study that analyzes settlements in situ, but rather an investigation of the intricate relationship between indigenous and indigenist policies in the context of the implementation of Decree 426.