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Rethinking the Conquest of Goiás, 1775-1819

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Mary Karasch
Mary Karasch*
Affiliation:
Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan
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Extract

To the sound of trumpets and drums, the people gathered before the church of Our Lady of the Rosary in the square of the small town of Santa Cruz in southern Goiás. They were there for the “jogo dos cavaleiros” (the game of the cavalrymen). First of all, the troops processed from the commandant's house to the square, which was lined in the form of a cross. Enveloped in long mantles, the women of the commandant's family headed a second procession, including soldiers, musicians, and the Austrian visitor, Johann Emanuel Pohl, who accompanied the commander and the judge. The townspeople followed at the end. Receiving them in formation in the “spacious” square were the mounted cavalrymen dressed in Portuguese uniforms. With their swords, they saluted Pohl and the other men of high rank, who took their seats on the top of a stepped platform shaded by a thatched roof, while the soldiers sat below.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 61 , Issue 3: Rethinking Bandeirismo in Colonial Brazil , January 2005 , pp. 463 - 492
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 2005 

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References

1 Jogo dos cavaleiros, 1819: Pohl, Johann Emanuel, Viagem no Interior do Brasil, trans, by Milton Amado and Eugênio Amado (Belo Horizonte1. Editora Itatiaia, 1976), pp. 298–299.Google Scholar

2 Cavalhadas: de Souza Pereira, Niomar, Cavalhadas no Brasil: De cortejo a cavalo a lutas de Mouros e Cristãos, São Paulo: Escola de Folclore, 1983;Google Scholar and Brandão, Carlos Rodrigues, Cavalhadas de Pirenópolis, Goiânia: Oriente, 1974.Google Scholar

3 Freire, José Rodrigues [1790], Relação da conquista do gentío Xavante, 2nd. ed. (São Paulo: Carlos Drummond, 1951)19.Google Scholar

4 Indian policy in Goiás: Karasch, Mary, “Catequese e cativeiro: Política indigenista em Goiás, 1780–1889,” trans, by Perrone-Moisés, Beatriz, in História dos Índios no Brasil, ed. Carneiro da Cunha, Manuela (São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1992), pp. 397–412.Google Scholar

5 Ibid; de Almeida, Rita Heloísa, O Diretório dos Índios: Um projeto de “civilização ” no Brasil do século XVIII, Brasília: Editora Universidade de Brasilia, 1997;Google Scholar and Hemming, John, Amazon Frontier: The Defeat of the Brazilian Indians (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1987), pp. 40–61.Google Scholar

6 Karasch, , “Catequese,” p. 399.Google Scholar

7 Ibid., p. 400; pictures of São José de Mossâmedes are on p. 403.

8 Ibid., pp. 400–401.

9 Indigenous motivations, Canoeiro: de Janeiro, Rio, Biblioteca Nacional (henceforth RJBN), I-28,31,26, Goiás (Província), “Ofício de Miguel Lino de Moraes dirigido aos Snrs. do Conselho Geral da Província do Goiaz, expondo o estado econômico [e político] da província do Goiaz” (Goiás, 1830);Google Scholar and Kayapó: Giraldin, Odair, Cayapó e Panará: Luta e sobrevivência de um povo Jé no Brasil Central (Campinas, São Paulo: Editora da UNICAMP, 1997), pp. 80–81.Google Scholar

10 Early Kayapó history and the 1740s bandeiras: Giraldin, Cayapó, pp. 55–81.

11 Bandeira of 1780 and aldeias: Ibid., pp. 91–100.

12 The Kayapó in Vila Boa: Rio de Janeiro, Arquivo do Instituto Histórico e Geográphico Brasileiro, lata 397, doc. 2, Goiás, Redução dos indios da Capitania de Goiás; no author, no date, but from the archive of Dr. Ernesto Ferreira. A'summary is in Karasch, Mary, “Damiana da Cunha: Catechist and Sertanista,” in Struggle and Survival in Colonial America, eds., Sweet, David G. and Nash, Gary B. (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1981), pp. 103–105.Google Scholar

13 Other Kayapó reasons for making peace: Giraldin, Cayapó, pp. 94–95.

14 Odair Giraldin calculates that the total number of those living at Maria Primeira may have been as high as 2,400 Kayapó. See his Cayapó, p. 95.

15 Damiana da Cunha's expeditions: Karasch, , Damiana, pp. 112–117.Google Scholar

16 Kayapó expulsion from São José: Karasch, Mary, “Interethnic Conflict and Resistance on the Brazilian Frontier of Goiás, 1750–1890,” in Contested Ground: Comparative Frontiers on the Northern and Southern Edges of the Spanish Empire (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1998), p. 131.Google Scholar

17 The descendants of the Kayapó now live to the west of the Xingu River in Mato Grosso. See Giraldin, , Cayapó, pp. 133–136 Google Scholar with map of their migration route.

18 Karajá, 17th century: de Freitas e Abreu, Euripedes Balsanulf, “Contatos Interetnicos em Goiás colonial,” Master's thesis, Federal University of Goiás, 1992, pp. 122–123.Google Scholar

19 Rumors of gold in the Araguaia region: AHG, Municipios, Niquelandia, letter of Alexandre [?] de Souza Von Araujo J. to Vigário Pires dos Santos e Sousa, São José de Tocantins, 5 February 1776. Actually, gold was discovered in the twentieth century and has been mined at the Serra Pelada, south of Marabá and west of the Araguaia River.

20 Bandeira of Antônio Pires de Campos: Alencastre, Anais, p. 198; Hemming, Amazon Frontier, p. 68.

21 Bandeira of 1775: Lisbon, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (henceforth ANTT), Ministerio do Reino, maço 600, Alferes de Dragoens, Jozé Pinto da Fonseca, Ilha de Santa Anna, 4 August 1775. The following narrative of the contact with the Karajá is based on this document. A printed copy of Fonseca’ report on his expedition first appeared in the Revista do Instituto Histórico e Geográphico Brasileiro, 1° Trimestre de 1846, tomo 8, 2nd edition (1867):376–390; but the transcription has so many mistakes and omissions that it is unreliable. Other incomplete summaries of this “conquest” are in Alencastre, Anais (1864), pp. 193–206; and Hemming, Amazon Frontier, pp. 68–70.

22 The Javaé are a branch of the Karajá family, and they also live on Bananal Island. Hemming, Amazon Frontier, p. 66.

23 The letters of Abuênonâ and Acabèdûanê are at ANTT, Reino, maço 600.

24 Subsequent Karajá history in the aldeias: Karasch, , “Catequese,” pp. 403–409;Google Scholar and Karajá trade with Parà merchants: AHG, Niquelandia, letter of Souza Von Araujo J. to Santos e Sousa, 1776.

25 Bandeira of 1774: City of Goiás, Arquivo do Museu das Bandeiras, Xlll-Vários, no.352, 4. Descobertas, Arraial de Trairas, “Auto de Junta que mandarão fazêr os Juizes ordinarios deste Arrayal de Traíiras…, 24 April 1774; Lisbon, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, maço 321, pacote 1789, Auto, José Rodrigues Freyre [Freiré]; and Pereira de Alencastre, José Martins, Anais da Província de Goiás (first edition, 1864; Brasília: Editora Gráfica Ipiranga Ltda., 1979), pp. 196–206.Google Scholar

26 Bandeira of 1784: Freiré, Relação da Conquista do Gentío Xavante, 1790; Alencastre, Anais, pp. 244–251 ; Karasch, ,“Cateqese,” Historia, p. 400;Google Scholar and Karasch, , “Interethnic Conflict,” Contested Grounds, p. 131.Google Scholar

27 Carretão: Lisbon, AHU, O Contador Geral Luís Joze de Brito, “a respeito do gentío da Nação Xavante que se veio aidear no'sitio do Carretão,” Rio de Janeiro, 17 October 1788; de Almeida Lazarin, Rita Heloisa, O aldeamento do Carretâo: duas historias, Master's thesis in Antropology, University of Brasilia, 1985;Google Scholar and da Silva, Aracy Lopes, “Dois Séculos e Meio de Historia Xavante,” in Historia dos Índios no Brasil, ed. Manuela Carneiro da Cunha (São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1992), pp. 363–364.Google Scholar A thousand Javaé were also sent to live with the Xavante at Carretão. Hemming, Amazon Frontier, pp. 73–74.

28 Salinas: “Localização dos Grupos Indígena… , 1770–1830,” map, Rios Pedroso, Dulce Madalena, “Avá-Canoeiro: A Historia do Povo Invisivel—Séculos XVIII e XIX,” Master's thesis, Federal University of Goiás, 1992, p. 55.Google Scholar

29 Arientomô-laxê-qui: Alencastre, Anais [1864], pp. 250–251.

30 Ponl, Viagem, pp. 181, 237–238.

31 The major historical study on the Canoeiro is the thesis by Rios Pedroso, Dulce Madalena, “Avá-Canoeiro: A Història do Povo Invisivel—Séculos XVIII e XIX,” Federal University of Goiás, 1992.Google Scholar Photographs of the Avá-Canoeiro, who survived to be contacted in 1973, are published in Pedroso, Dulce Madalena R. et al, Avá-Canoeiro: a terra, o homem, a luta, Goiânia: Editora UCG, 1990.Google Scholar After interviews with the few survivors, they concluded that “these Indians belong to the Tupi linguistic trunk, Tupi-Guarani family” (p. 9). See also de Toral, André A., “Os Indios Negros ou os Carijó de Goiás: A Historia dos Avá-Canoeiro,” Revista de Antropologia 27–28 (1984–1985): 287–326;Google Scholar and Karasch, , “Interethnic Conflict,” pp. 133–134.Google Scholar

32 Karasch, , “Interethnic Conflict,” pp. 133–134.Google Scholar Pedroso, Dulce in “Avá-Canoeiro,” 1992, pp. 144–148,Google Scholar argues that the Canoeiro lived in the lower Tocantins River region before the seventeenth century and their language is “distinct” from that of the Karijó. Perhaps the Karijó who fled from the Paulistas joined a pre-existing Avá-Canoeiro population and inter-married with them.

33 Bandeiras of 1773–1796: Lisbon, AHU, Cod. 1657, Livro Primeiro, Francisco Martins dos Reys, Trairas, 29 July 1773, f. 46v; Alencastre, Anais, p. 194; AHU, Cod. 1657, Livro Primeiro, portaria, Manoel Antunes Guimaraens, Vila Boa, 4 April 1774, f. 65; Ibid., portaria, Athanazio Leite, Vila Boa, 28 April 1774, f. 67v; 1789: Hemming, Amazon Frontier p 193; and 1796 villages: Karasch, , “Catequese,” p. 400.Google Scholar

34 José Luís Pereira and Damiana da Cunha as his widow: Goiânia, Arquivo Histórico do Estado de Goiás (hereafter AHG), caixa 11, Correspondence of Joâo Vieira de Carvalho, Palacio do Rio de Janeiro, 7 April 1823, regarding the petition of Damiana da Cunha, “viuva do Sargento de Pedestres, Jozé Luiz Pereira.”

35 Bandeira of 1803: AHU, letter of Joze Luiz Pereira, Sargento da Companhia de Pedestres, Vila Boa, 2 March 1803.

36 Carta Regia, 5 September 1811: Karasch, , “Catequese,” p. 402.Google Scholar

37 Canoeiro raid, 1818: Rio de Janeiro, Arquivo Nacional (henceforth RJAN), IJJ 9–493, pacote 1818, doc. 3, Letter to Thomaz Antonio de Villanova Portugal from Governor Fernando Delgado Freiré de Castilho, 28 April 1818, which includes the notice of Canoeiro thefts of food around the presidio. Ban-deira of 1819: Pohl, , Viagem, pp. 214–215 Google Scholar; Karasch, , “Interethnic Conflict,” p. 133;Google Scholar and Hemming, , Amazon Frontier, pp. 193–194.Google Scholar

38 Goiânia, AHG, Documentação Diversa (henceforth AHGDD), number 69, Origenais dos Comandantes dos Registros e Presidios da Provincia, 1823-1825; and no. 70, Registro de Correspondências Militares ao Governo Civil da Provincia, 1823–1826.

39 Ibid., AHGDD, no. 70, Relação das Muniçôes de Boca e Guerra precizas para cem homen…, 9 July, 1823, ff. 18–19. Attacks on 800 fazendas and Canoeiro raids and retreats to mountains: AHGDD, no. 18, Correspondència Dirigida ao Comandante das Armas Raimundo José da Cunha Mattos, Cavalcante, 6 January 1824, f. 49; and AHGDD, no. 35, Registro de Correspondencia de Cunha Mattos, Cavalcante, 6 January 1824. Here he refers to the “barbaros Indios Carijôs Canoeiros” and the attacks on 300 fazendas. Damiana da Cunha: AHGDD, no. 70, Registro, Correspondencias Militares, Cavalcante, 5 February 1824, f. 73.

40 AHGDD, no. 158, Correspondència, Letter of Joachim Pereira to Cunha Mattos, Vila da Palma, 2_? of April 1824, f. 6.

41 Election as deputy: “Cunha Mattos em Goiaz,” Revista do Instituto Histórico e Geográphico Brasileiro, tomo 96, vol. 150 (1924): 205.

42 Note 9 above.

43 Pedroso, “Avá-Canoeiro,” 1992, pp. 132–136.

44 Karasch, , “Interethnic Conflict,” p. 133.Google Scholar

45 Refuges: AHGDD, no. 35, Registro, Cavalcante, 6 January 1824, ff. 48–51.

46 Lisbon, AHU, no. 1001, caixa 2, Goiáz, 1734–1832, Vila Boa, 25 January 1752; and City of Goiás, AMB, no. 444, Praça de Militares, Pedestres [lists of troops by ethnicity], 1774–1794.