The “Xaclan” crossroads: Afonso Botelho and the Kaingangs in the backlands of Paraná (18 ^th century)

ABSTRACT

This paper approaches the expedition carried out by Afonso Botelho de Sampaio e Souza, which entered indigenous territories in the 18^th century. The expedition of Botelho took place in the context of the Pombaline reforms, a moment in which the Portuguese Crown was trying to implement new guidelines for indigenist policies, seeking to attract new subjects among the native people in the backlands in order to guarantee control over disputed colonial territories. In this context, Botelho traveled through the territories of the so-called Fields of Guarapuava, in the third plateau of Paraná, coming into contact with native groups of Jê origin, known as Kaingang since the 19^th century. Through three reports of the expedition and part of the produced iconography, evidence related to the territoriality and indigenous leadership were sought, capturing elements of the Kaingang culture present in the organization of the spaces and which influenced the encounter with foreign explorers.

Keywords:
Kaingang; territoriality; indigenous leadership; interethnic contact