Forgotten spiritual practices
recuperating memory in support of the resistance of afro-Brazilian religions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31239/vtg.v17i2.42162Keywords:
spiritual practices, Afro-Brazilian religions, archaeology of African DiasporaAbstract
Archaeological sites associated with enslaved Africans and/or their descendants have recurringly presented material evidence of spiritual practices, related to their cosmovisions and to their beliefs in the supernatural forces that governed their lives, their everyday activities and their relations with others. Archaeological research conducted in the city of Rio de Janeiro has revealed: 1) a surprising conservatism in the physical supports of some of these practices, especially in initiation, divination and purification rites; 2) the fact that although some forms were maintained, their original meanings were lost over time with other meanings emerging in their place; 3) the complete abandonment of once highly intense practices, which today are not even remembered. By bringing to the surface what was no longer remembered, recuperating ancient meanings and exposing their deep roots, Archaeology can recover the materiality of important but forgotten elements of the history of Afro-Brazilian religions that were primarily transmitted orally. Violent manifestations of religious racism have recently become increasingly resurgent, assailing the followers, objects and sacred spaces of these religions. Given this fact, Archaeology, founded on a decolonial perspective, aspires to contribute to the recuperation of their ancestrality and memory, the respect for and valorization of their beliefs, and, consequently, their resistance across the centuries.
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