ABSTRACT
It is widely recognized in both academia and among broader audiences that the Portuguese gained insights from Indian Ocean navigators upon entering that sea. This chapter aims to examine the body of sixteenth-century Portuguese maritime literature that references these navigators, arguing that this approach clarifies questions about how the Portuguese sought expertise in the Indian Ocean, the type of knowledge they pursued, and their general attitude toward the information they received. It intends to demonstrate not only the potential of Portuguese maritime literature in studying the circulation of knowledge between two distinct practices but also how it can enhance our understanding of the technical aspects of Indian Ocean navigation during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
