If in his article Calávia affirms that missionary failures must be qualified (Saez 1999), the same is true for its success cases. I analise here the attempts to civilize and convert the Munduruku indians made by missionaries from the Missão de São Francisco, using the missionary discourse to investigate the franciscan categories used to describe their work, characterized not by munduruku inconstancy but for a strong adherence that, for the missionaries, reflected the successful relationship built with the indigenous population. In this context, I return to Calávia’s proposal to understand civilization less as historical event and more as a fluid category for the missionary agencies.
Catholic Mission; Munduruku indians; Franciscan missionaries; missionaries categories