José de Santa Rita Durão (1722–1784), orator and poet, could be considered the creator of 'Indianism' in Brazil. His epic poem Caramuru is the first work to treat the native inhabitants of Brazil as its theme. Written in the style of Camões, Caramuru imitates classical poets.
Durão, who became priest of the Augustinian order, was born near Mariana, Minas Gerais. He was educated at the Jesuit College in Rio de Janeiro until age ten and the following year left for Portugal. There he was awarded a doctorate in theology and philology at the University of Coimbra, in the city of Coimbra, Portugal, where he subsequently became a member of the faculty. But during the Marquis of Pombal government in Portugal, Durão was persecuted and left Portugal fo
