On 17 August 1758, the Crown extended the Diretório to Indigenous settlements throughout Brazil. The policy joined imperial occupation to cultural assimilation and labor administration. Its directors monitored production, work schedules, settlement, language, and trade. The National Archives notes that officials abused their powers and Indigenous workers endured excessive work that caused deaths and flight. The extension therefore paired nominal legal freedom with state-directed labor and land control. Indigenous people’s political action continued within and against this system; the document should not be mistaken for Indigenous consent to colonial rule.
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