ABSTRACT
The paper analyzes the representations of whiteness in the indigenous imagination, an aspect rarely addressed by historiography. For this purpose, I use reports from travelers who visited the Amazon region in the 19th century. Based on the critical analysis of black theorists on whiteness, I intend to point out how the contact between indigenous populations and white people was experienced as a terrifying experience, even physically. The records of these contacts reveal multiple forms of violence and racism against the indigenous peoples of the region, constituting an important dimension of the historical constitution of white privilege in Brazil.
Keywords:
Indigenous Peoples; Racism; Whiteness; Amazon