Blacks of the Land: Indian Slavery, Settler Society, and the Portuguese Colonial Enterprise in South America

A groundbreaking analysis reveals that Native slavery was more pervasive and central to Portuguese colonialism in Brazil than previously understood, fundamentally shaping settler society in São Paulo from the 16th to 18th centuries. The study traces how enslavement of Indigenous peoples, driven by Portuguese settlers and bandeirantes (frontiersmen), fueled economic expansion, particularly wheat production, while disrupting precolonial social structures and justifying further conquest. Unlike other regions where Native captive-taking was integrated into existing practices, the Tupi and Guarani peoples in Brazil either killed or assimilated war prisoners, making Portuguese raids a primary source of enslaved labor. The research highlights the role of Jesuit missions, which, while intending to protect and Christianize Natives, inadvertently destabilized Indigenous societies, leading to rebellion and further enslavement. Legal ambiguities and paternalistic discourse allowed slaveholders to maintain control over Native labor, blending economic exploitation with claims of social advancement.

Rushforth, B. (2020). Blacks of the Land: Indian Slavery, Settler Society, and the Portuguese Colonial Enterprise in South America. Ethnohistory, 67(2), 341–343. https://doi.org/10.1215/00141801-8025574