Restorers of the Divine Law

Abstract

During the late sixteenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century, numerous native groups revolted against colonial rule. From the Santitade movement in Brazil to various movements across the continent and all the way to New France, the rebellions led by charismatic leaders incorporated millenarian expectations typically expressed in Christian language. Even if the sources are scarce, a broad, comparative overview is possible and allows us, on the one hand, to evaluate the possible common causes at the root of the multiplication of such movements across such a vast stretch of land, and on the other hand, to take seriously the influence and impact of Christian millenarianism on native groups, and not only to see them as ideological justifications for purely political motives. Indeed, this chapter argues that millenarianism among the natives was not only a reaction to harsh colonial conditions but also a creative appropriation of a new cultural practice, Christianity. Such a broad perspective on phenomena occurring across the Americas will provide new insights into native Christianity and political agency, and also possibly reintegrate the history of millenarianism in a colonial context into a broader global history.