Mollusks of Candomblé: Symbolic and Ritualistic Importance Nivaldo a Léo Neto1,3, Robert a Voeks2, Thelma LP Dias3 and Rômulo RN Alves3*
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Léo Neto et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2012, 8:10 http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/8/1/10 JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE RESEARCH Open Access Mollusks of Candomblé: symbolic and ritualistic importance Nivaldo A Léo Neto1,3, Robert A Voeks2, Thelma LP Dias3 and Rômulo RN Alves3* Abstract Human societies utilize mollusks for myriad material and spiritual ends. An example of their use in a religious context is found in Brazil’s African-derived belief systems. Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion introduced during the 18th-19th centuries by enslaved Yoruba, includes various magical and liturgical uses of mollusks. This work inventoried the species utilized by adherents and to analyzed their symbolic and magical context. Data were obtained from Candomblé temples in two cities in the northeast of Brazil-Caruaru, in the state of Pernambuco, and Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba. Questionnaires administered to eleven adepts revealed that at least nineteen mollusk species are being used. Shells from Monetaria moneta, M. annulus and Erosaria caputserpentis were cited by all of the interviewees. Three uses stood out: divination (jogo de búzios); utilization as ritual objects; and employment as sacrificial offerings (Igbin or Boi-de-Oxalá). The jogo de búzios (shell toss), employed in West Africa, Brazil and Cuba, is of fundamental importance to the cult, representing the means by which the faithful enter in contact with the divinities (Orixás) and consult people’s futures (Odu). The utilization of mollusks in Candomblé is strongly influenced by ancient Yoruba myths (Itãs) which, having survived enslavement and generations of captive labor, continue to guide the lives of Brazil’s African Diaspora. Keywords: Ethnozoology, symbolic systems, Use of mollusks, Afro-Brazilian religion Background few studies have analyzed their use, especially in terms of Human societies utilize aquatic biological resources in a conservation framework. As Costa-Neto [27] notes, uti- many ways. Marine invertebrates and fish are used as lization of wild animal species in a magic-religious con- ornamentals, food, medicine, and even in magico-reli- text has been mostly neglected by biological scientists, gious practice [1-15]. Interactions between humans and who often find their respect for traditional and indigen- animals go well beyond simple ecological and functional ous uses of nature in conflict with their developed world, relations and, since antiquity, cultures have attributed environmental ideology. magical and religious meaning to wild and domesticated The use of mollusks is probably as old as humanity. In animals [7,8,16-19]. Particularly in pre-scientific socie- pre-history, mollusks represented an important source of ties, according to Marques [5], the imaginative that is food, ornamentals, and tool materials [28-31], and these present in the daily routines of people has encouraged traditional uses are richly documented in the archeologi- mystical and religious relations with the environment. cal record [32-34]. Mollusks continue to be an important In Brazil, the use of animals in magic-religious areas is source of food, providing an essential source of protein widely reported but infrequently investigated [8,20-24]. in the coastal communities [35-38]. But in addition to Although a diverse array of wild animals and animal their consumptive value, their shells have long been parts are offered for sale for religious purposes through- utilized for magical-religious purposes. During the out the country in the open markets and shops, especially European Middle Ages, for example, the shell of the to serve the Afro-Brazilian community [7,8,15,23,25,26], pilgrim (Pecten jacobaeus; a bivalve mollusk) became a religious emblem of Saint James. The shells of the * Correspondence: [email protected] P. jacobaeus can be seen in sanctuaries or as church dec- 3 Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Av. das orations, such as those in Santiago (Spain) and Porec Baraúnas, 351/Campus Universitário, Bodocongó, Campina Grande, PB 58109-753, Brasil Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © 2012 Neto et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Léo Neto et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2012, 8:10 Page 2 of 10 http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/8/1/10 (Croatia). And in island societies of the Indian Ocean it is [58-60] with 11 priests and priestesses from the Candom- used it as a symbol of love and fertility [39]. blé. The study was carried out between the months of As a largely immigrant landscape, Brazil’s cultural rela- August 2007 and June 2008. Approval for the study was tionship with nature is guided as much by Old World as obtained from the Ethics committee of Universidade Esta- with New World traditions. In addition to Amerindian dual da Paraíba. We gained access to the terreiros through biocultural relations, Portuguese, Italian, German, holy sons (filhos-de-santo) known to the first author. This Japanese, and especially Africans introduced and inter- previous relationship facilitated trust, enabling him to con- mixed their beliefs and practices. Particularly in the duct interviews with priests and priestesses. Additional northeast of Brazil, where some two million enslaved interviewees were chosen by using the snowball sampling Africans arrived over the course of three centuries, technique. Some attempts to interview Candomblé priests people-animal relations were significantly shaped by the and priestesses were unsuccessful due to inaccurate infor- Yoruba of present day Nigeria and Benin. With a rich mation regarding their location, and some interviewees religious tradition and a profound knowledge of the provided little information because they were reluctant to magical and medical properties of plants and animals, the answer questions. As pointed by Leo Neto et al. [56] Yoruba introduced many of their healing practices and rituals are often carried out in secrecy because the predo- cosmological beliefs to Brazil [40]. Over time, as these minantly Christian society is antagonistic to this religion, beliefs and traditions blended with those of the Catholic which makes it challenging to gain access and information faith, a syncretic religion known now as Candomblé (and regarding these practices. many variants) took hold. Candomblé priests and priest- Species were collected and identified to the lowest esses serve the greater Afro-Brazilian community as taxonomic level possible utilizing the relevant literature priests, curandeiros (healers), and practitioners of the [61-63]. Some species were identified during interviews occult arts. These often include plants and animals in and, when necessary, photographed for later analysis. ceremonial obligations (sacrifices) to one or another of Binomials were determined using the database Malaco- the pantheon of African deities-the orixas [7,8,15]. Ritual log, Version 4.1.0 [64]. activities, including use of wild and domesticated biota, are often guided by a complicated set of ancient African Results and discussion oral myths-the odu [41-45]. A total of 19 mollusk species possessing liturgical and An coterie of animals are employed in Candomble cere- symbolic ends were identified in the present study. The monies, native and exotic, terrestrial and aquatic. These most cited species were: Monetaria annulus (n =10cita- include goats, chickens, doves, guinea fowl, snakes, dol- tions), M. moneta (n =10),Erosaria caputserpentis (n = phin, fish, and many others [7,8,15,23,25,26]. Among 9) and Achatina fulica (n = 6). The families with the these, mollusks hold a prominent role [7,8,15,46-54]. From greatest number of registered species were: Cypraeidae anthropological perspective, the importance of gastropods (n = 6) and Ranellidae (n = 2); the other families were to Candomblé has been briefly noted by other researchers represented by one species each (Table 1). Silva [55], who [42,43,51,55]. The present work is the first ethnozoological carried out a similar study in the Brazilian cities of Recife study that examines the role and general significance of and Olinda (Pernambuco), registered a total of 11 species mollusk’s species to Candomblé practice. The objectives of utilized in magico-religious ceremonies.Ofthese,only the following research are: (1) to identify species of mol- the genus Cypraea sp. and the species Cassis tuberosa, lusks that are used by Candomblé priests, and (2) to ana- Eustrombus goliath and Charonia variegate,werealso lyze the roles and magic-religious symbolism of these encountered and used for similar purposes in the Can- animals to the adepts of the religion. domblé terreiros (the physical space where the religious rituals are performed) visited in this study. Materials and methods The mollusk species recorded in this study come from Data were collected in the cities of Caruaru, in the state many regions of the world. The majority was harvested of Pernambuco, and Campina Grande, state of Paraíba, in from the Atlantic Ocean, but quite a number of species the northeast of Brazil. The city of Caruaru (8°17’00"S; (n = 5) were imported from Indo-Pacific countries. The 35°58’34"W) is situated 132 km from the state’s capital, presence of