The Origin of Catimbó in Alhandra, a Former Colonial Settlement
摘要
This chapter presents a general description of the Catimbó-Jurema Sagrada rituals and loose doctrine, which varies considerably from place to place. It is common in these ceremonies that mediums incorporate entities such as Mestre Carlos, Malunguinho and Maria Padilha, deceased masters of Jurema who inhabit cities and kingdoms from which they descend to places of cult called terreiros in order to work, i.e. to help people in need with advice, blessings, spells, prescriptions of herbal products and so on. The author narrates his attendance of rituals in the town of Alhandra, in the Brazilian state of Paraíba, revered as the place of birth of Catimbó. The narrative also encompasses a description of the first scholarly works on Catimbó and a brief history of the persecution moved against this religiosity of Indigenous and African matrix, first by the Catholic Church, then by the Brazilian police, and until today by evangelical denominations.