João Mulungu

“The Boldest, King of the Fugitive Slaves” in Sergipe del Rey

Abstract

In the early 1870s, the Sergipe Police Department conducted a number of operations that specifically targeted a quilombo [maroon] community led by João Mulungu. This paper utilizes documents produced during these repressive activities in charting the trajectory of this quilombo leader in the Cotinguiba Valley wilderness. Rather than highlighting the unique aspects of his struggle, to the paper shows how his strategies for survival and maintaining his freedom were connected to the aspirations and experiences of other individuals, fugitives or not. This approach does not detract from João Mulungu’s importance as a leader, especially since he had a decisive role in actively supporting networks of solidarity among maroon communities in the region.