On 3 May 1757, the Diretório dos Índios was established for Indigenous settlements in Pará and Maranhão. It replaced Jesuit temporal administration with secular directors but imposed Portuguese language, settlement, labor, and economic rules. The Diretório framed Indigenous people as subjects to be “civilized,” limited political autonomy, and enabled officials to supervise paid work and production. Indigenous people nevertheless petitioned, negotiated, fled, and shaped local outcomes. The decree’s promise of freedom therefore coexisted with colonial tutelage, compulsory labor practices, and pressure on Indigenous lands and cultures.
Ainda no tin imágen ni vidio pa e suseso aki.
Eventonan Relashoná
What was a central effect of the Diretório?
The Diretório regulated work and settlement under colonial authority.
The Diretório promoted Indigenous self-determination without colonial supervision.
It imposed colonial supervision over Indigenous settlements, labor, and culture.