AN INDIGENOUS PARAÍBA VALLEY: ETHNIC CONFLICTS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF INDIGENOUS PROPERTY IN VALENÇA (1780-1835)

Abstract

The main goal of this article is to analyze the transformation of the Vale do Paraíba from the agrarian and ethnic conflicts that involved the Indians and the colonial society, in the passage from the 18th to the 19th century, in Valença, Rio de Janeiro. Guided by the theoretical discussion on the Social History of Property, we believe that the reproduction of the indigenous way of life was also linked to a customary exercise of property rights, despite the fact that the Indians do not have formal titles that prove their dominion over the lands. It’s necessary to pluralize the discussion about land ownership and try to reconstitute property rights that have been deconstructed. In the meantime, we believe it’s necessary to analyze the conflicts over indigenous property rights before the formation of the coffee plantation. Throughout the process, we realized that agrarian conflicts were closely linked to ethnic conflicts, in which denominations claimed for themselves and attributed by others revealed changes around property rights.

Keywords
Indians; Property Rights; Ethnic Conflicts; Vale do Paraíba; Valença