INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN 19TH-CENTURY BIOGRAPHIES

THE LEADING ROLE THAT OFFICIAL HISTORY FAILED TO REVEAL

Abstract

The present work sought to investigate the "illustrious" indigenous women of Brazil through the analysis of the biographies "Famous Brazilians" by Joaquim Norberto de Sousa e Silva and "Illustrious Women of Brazil" by Ignez Sabino and current works related to the theme, with the purpose of critically analyzing the protagonism that was given to certain indigenous women of the colonial period in the context of the nineteenth century,  these women being Damiana da Cunha, Catharina Paraguaçú, Clara Camarão, Maria Bárbara and Princess Arcoverde. It must be said, in this sense, that the original peoples have been since the invasion of the Europeans endlessly subjugated and exposed to innumerable forms of violence, especially women. The hypothesis put forward is that, as a result of the nationalism fostered in the nineteenth century, in order to promote the assimilation of indigenous people into Imperial society, it sought in a pedagogical way to condition indigenous women to how they should behave in order to be able to integrate that new social scope, they are the ones who fight for their homeland, the ones who give up their culture and incorporate that of the European. The result of the research confirmed that the protagonism given to these women was part of the assimilationist project, in no way being altruistic, but rather manipulated in order to imperial interests. The qualitative research methodology was used, seeking to analyze in the biographies and bibliographic references the reason for the abrupt protagonism attributed to the respective Amerindians.