ABSTRACT
In the current context of the celebration of 200 years of Brazilian independence, studies that have highlighted the polysemic and multifaceted dimensions of the formation process of the Brazilian state and nation are reinvigorated. The objective of this article is to present a little-studied theme: the participation of indigenous peoples in the process of building independent Brazil. To this end, it is dedicated to analyzing how the indigenous population of Vila Verde, in the province of Bahia, engaged in the struggle for the “holy cause of Brazil” and, after independence, began a long battle in defense of the right to freedom and land. By investigating this course of struggles, we propose to think about the notion of citizenship that the indigenous themselves sought to dispute in that context, articulating the confrontations between ethnicities, identities, and territorialities.
Keywords:
Independence of Brazil; Indian people; Province of Bahia