The indian officials and the free indigenous labor force in the colonial Pará (1750-1798)

Abstract

The present article intends to understand the increase of the indigenous officials (principais, military officers and officers of the municipal councils) in the capitania do Pará during the second half of the 18th century (1700-1798). Through the analysis of diverse documentation, especially the official letters of the officers and the requirements for the royal confirmation of these legal diplomas, we intend to identify the necessary requirements for the election of an official indigenous. With these evidences, we will verify that the mediation between the expectations of the indians who living in the pombaline villages (former missions) and the colonial demands (indigenous labour) were essential elements for the appointment of an officer. In relation the last aspect, with the mobilization of indigenous contingents to wars, the management of indigenous free labor by the indigenous leaderships was the essential item for their appointment as an officer.

Keywords

• indigenous elites
• free indigenous labor force