Some theoretical reflections on indigenous dress in Colonial Brazil

Abstract

This article is a preliminary attempt to apply current social theories of adornment as “dress” and “dress” as signifier of class to the issue of indigenous dress in colonial Brazil. Drawing upon the analysis of Joanne Entwistle, I examine encounters between indigenes and the Portuguese colonial administrators which took place over more than three centuries of control. I also interpret orders issued for clothing the native population under the rule of the Directorate. My conclusions reinforce the theories that indigenous adornment can be interpreted as “dress” and, that moreover, the Portuguese understood this concept. Nonetheless, there were contradictions in the Portuguese approach to creating a proletariat from uniformly dressed indigenous workers; the Crown routinely elevated leaders (who were allotted finer clothing) in order to reinforce their dependence upon colonial rulers. While this “dress code” for the indigenous population helped to maintain social order, it was not inevitably followed.