Ler eescrever na América portuguesa: notícias sobre um “método” para a educação escolar indígena na Capitania de Pernambuco do século XVIII

Abstract

The “new” Indigenous policy of the illustrated Government of D. José I manifested itself in the political-administrative restructuring of the indigenous villages administered by the religious orders, mainly of the Jesuits, that should be changed into villages and places, and in the relations between civil authorities, natives and colonists in Portuguese America. In this context, guidelines have emerged as to the ways of implementing the “new” Indigenous policy of the Portuguese Empire, such as the Direcçaõ comque interinamente se devem regular os Indios das novas Villas, e Lugares, que Sua Magestade Fidelissima manda erigir das Aldeas and the Breve instrucçam para ensignar aDoutrina christaã, Ler eescrever aos Meninos eaomesmo tempo osprincipios daLingoa Portugueza eSuaOrthografia, documents written in the government of Luiz Diogo Lobo da Silva (1756-1763), with a view to steering directors of Indians and Masters in the The process of civilization of the indigenous populations of the new villages erected in the captaincy of Pernambuco and its annexes (Paraíba, Rio Grande and Ceará). Starting from the diplomatic edition of this Breve instrucçam, which consists of a booklet and instruction for the Masters, we seek to discuss the methodological practice proposed for indigenous school education in the aforementioned political-administrative space. Without doubt, the unique character of the document in question highlights its importance to a greater understanding of the process of education of indigenous populations in the hinterlands of northeastern Brazil and, by extension, and another chapter of the linguistic social History of Brasil, with the purpose of opening the discussion for new research  on the social diffusion of the Brazilian indigenous populations in the second half of the eighteenth century.