Letters written by Potiguara leaders during the 1645 Dutch-Portuguese war shed new light on indigenous experiences, finally translated from Tupi.
During the 1645 Dutch-Portuguese war in northeast Brazil, the Potiguara people found themselves caught in the middle of a bloody conflict over sugar plantations. Their leaders, writing in the Tupi language, sent a series of letters enticing their kin to defect across battle lines, offering a unique indigenous perspective on the war.
These letters, long inaccessible to non-specialists, have now been translated for the first time after 30 years of dedicated work by Eduardo de Almeida Navarro, a scholar of indigenous languages at the University of São Paulo. Navarro’s efforts have been hailed as a significant achievement in revealing this rare correspondence from a native community caught in a colonial struggle.
The publication of these letters is not only a critical addition to Brazil’s history but also a powerful reminder of indigenous voices during the country’s tumultuous birth.
