A fortificação de São José de Macapá e a utilização da mão-de-obra indígena em sua construção: análise etno-histórica das populações do Cabo Norte

Abstract

The construction of the Fortress of São José de Macapá (1764-1782), was a geo-political strategy led by the Portuguese against the "foreign" presence in the Amazon, mainly French. In this work, both indigenous and black populations acted as slave labor. The present work aims to analyze the possible descent and the enslavement situation of indigenous and black groups during the period of this construction. This study will contribute to the knowledge of the historical-cultural processes of the Northern Cape region (Amapá). The materials used were documents from the 18th century that can be found in the Public Archive of the State of Pará - APEP, and historical and anthropological books aiming at an ethno-historical approach. A significant number of indigenous descents from various parts of the Amazon were registered to perform various functions at the construction site; many under conditions of indentured servitude, that is, forced labor. The arduous work day, together with the unavoidable diseases such as malaria, smallpox, and measles, decimated many of them. Those who resisted ended up fleeing the construction site along with the blacks, moving to the outskirts of Macapá or crossing the border to French Guiana in search of freedom, processes that contributed to the formation of multiethnic societies in the Northern Cape region.