Cadê O índio que vivia aqui? Os Puri, a ocupação dos sertões de Campo Alegre da Paraíba Nova e o processo de invisibilidade indígena (Séculos XVIII e XIX)

Abstract

This work discusses the indigenous theme related to the ethnicity “Puri”, Indians belonging to the linguistic stem macro-jé, which in the 18th century, live in inland regions which at that time were considered as "sertanejas" areas where is today the State of Rio de Janeiro. There was an extensive region in these spaces of backlands in the 18th and 19th centuries, that was known as Campo Alegre da Paraiba Nova. With the advances of the colonial borders towards this region that still was a part of the so called "sertões dos ìndios brabos", the “Puri” began to suffer the impact of violent and devastating occupation processes, causing several conflicts in the region, between the “Puri” and “Brazilian- Portuguese” , which led to a major confrontation that has resulted in the death of several Indians “Puri”and formation of the Village of São Luiz Beltrão. At this point, an attempt to extinguish the “Puri” in the region settles , who resisted both inside the Village, in their hard daily life with the several actors involved there, as well as the Indians that did not accept the reduction, and lived in the region “untied” because of that ,considered as “Ìndios brabos” and enemies off Brazilian-Portuguese. In the several attempts of extinction of the “Puri”, seen as obstacles in the Portuguese/Brazilian Crown claims to local interests, in Campo Alegre, the Brazilian-Portuguese took advantage of actions ranging from contamination of Indians with “febre da bexiga” (smallpox), brutal clashes that led to the death of several Indians to the strategy of indigenous invisibility with the official documents, invisibility that led provincial authorities to decree their extinction even though these “Puri” are still recognized as Indians by the local population, before a backdrop of significant transformations that occurred in the former region of Campo Alegre da Paraiba Nova from the early 18th century to the late 19thcentury. This research, in addition to a reflection about the situation of the “Puri” Indians, against the process of occupation of the vast region of Campo Alegre da Paraíba Nova, intends to demonstrate that the attempt of Indigenous invisibility, which led to its official extinction, did not succeed. Due the fact of the local population, after this official decree, continue recognizing the existence “Puri” in the former Campo Alegre (municipality of Resende) and today, 150 years of such extinction, exist people that recognize themselves as Indians or have a related descendant a “indianity” and belonging “Puri”.