A figuração do indígena no Oitocentos: Simá (1857), um romance histórico de Lourenço Amazonas

Abstract

Our article aims to analyze the representation of indigenous peoples in the work Simá: romance histórico do Alto Amazonas (1857), written by the Bahian author Lourenço Amazonas (1803 – 1864). We know that the representation of indigenous peoples was a prominent feature in Indianist novels of the 19th century. However, it is extremely important to understand how indigenous peoples were approached in nineteenth-century literature, considering the context of colonization that these people faced. Based on research by Marlí Tereza Furtado (2012), Suene Honorato (2021), and Lilia Schwarcz (1998), we seek to emphasize the distinct approach adopted in Simá and to contextualize the representation of indigenous people in Brazilian society at the time. Thus, the analysis of this work reveals a conception that moves slightly away from the idealization of the indigenous, often present in the works of José de Alencar, for example. In this novel, natives are portrayed as agents of their own civilization, questioning and criticizing structures dominated by colonial conceptions. Through his realistic and denouncing gaze, Lourenço Amazonas played a fundamental role in contributing to a more complex and critical approach to Brazilian history and identity in 19th-century literature.