El padre que nació indio y murió entre los negros: mito e historia

Abstract

Father José Nicolino de Sousa is known as the founder of Oriximiná town, in Pará state. Nevertheless, he is always worshipped as a civilizing priest, omitting or ignoring his Indian ancestry and that he died among the Maroons. This paper analyses the historical facts and the memories concerning José Nicolino de Sousa, confronting the myths created about him with what historical sources reveal. The conclusion is that the settlement, which became Oriximiná, appeared long before the founding journey ascribed to the priest and that it is possible to establish a more complete historical narrative about the region, including subjects which have been ignored up to now.

Keywords

• Myth
• History
• Nicolino de Sousa (José)
• Native people
• Oriximiná