História natural da religião (Portuguese Edition)

Another source of conflict was the fact that they felt this pai de santo never explained what was happening, the reasons for each ritual and healing therapies, the religious basis behind them, etc. They started buying books about Umbanda and Spiritualism and learning on their own about the theological grounding for what they were doing. After several problems, this whole group left the terreiro and continued with their religious practices on a very private basis, at their own homes.

Through the Internet, S. This pai de santo started coming to Portugal once a month and later on every fortnight to found and organize a terreiro here. Many of these religious constructs or movements appear as new forms of cult that present themselves as alternative therapeutic practices attending to life-crisis situations Saraiva ; such is the case of the Afro-Brazilian cults.

The adaptations of such cults to the contemporary Portuguese context, in which Portuguese and migrants from different backgrounds are present, will also be discussed, most particularly regarding the way the religious continuum that characterizes these religions, from the ones closer to the Catholic matrix to the more African variants, is re-constructed in Portugal, as Ismael Pordeus Jr. This last one, for instance, shows a virtual on-line mass, consulting-room and surgery possibilities, as well as a catalogue of merchandise where the opening page portraits an American physics laboratory of the 50s, with the scientist looking through a microscope and wearing an impeccable white gown.

Afro-Brazilian religions in Portugal: bruxos, priests and pais de santo

Thus, the Afro-Brazilian cults are now part of this new esoteric field, and the cult houses are expanding rapidly. Machado ; Padilla Attracted also by the entrance of Portugal into the European Union, in there were Almost twenty years later, Ismael Pordeus Jr. Nowadays, many terreiros can be found in the country, some of them with branches in the North, the Lisbon area and in the South. The differences relate more to the discourses and autonomy of the cult leaders and followers than to crucial oppositions in principles and rituals Capone a; Maggie The plasticity of such religions being one of its characteristics, it is especially put to proof in diaspora situations, where they have to adapt to new types of followers, new settings and new social and cultural circumstances Frigerio ; Oro ; Pordeus Jr.

I had dreamt of doing this from the moment, three years ago, when I started coming to this terreiro , here in Portugal. I wanted to go to the source. It was a wonderful experience! Let us now look at the reasons why this happens. Umbanda coexists harmoniously with Catholicism; most of the practitioners were baptized and are regular churchgoers. Portuguese feel proud of their new religion, that they consider quintessentially Brazilian, yet without going against or somehow disturbing the doctrine of their Catholic matrix.

They conceptualize it as a religion of goodness and light, where people meet each other in harmony. The spiritualist side of Umbanda is also very appealing, since through its mediums the spirits offer aid and counsel, attending to life-crisis situations. Umbanda offers individuals an opportunity to communicate directly with the other world, and be an active partner in all the rituals. The pontos , sang to summon the spirits, are intoned by all participants with a Brazilian accent, but nevertheless often emphasizing a melody closer to the Catholic chants. The lyrics in the pontos clearly accentuate the messages of light, peace and love, appealing to a Catholic population; the sites in the Internet advertising the terreiros or the consultations insist on these messages of love and brotherhood.

As such, most of the times adherence to these religions starts with consultations to overcome afflictive situations related to health, love or financial troubles. Afterwards, people keep returning to continue therapies and often end up more involved in the group and even becoming initiated. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she turned to a mixture of esoteric healing through magnetism, stone therapy and gemotherapy.

When they first discovered the cancer, the doctors did not want to operate because the cancer was too big, and I had to undergo chemotherapy, and in four months the cancer went from 10 to 5 centimeters.

When I started the initiation ceremonies the cancer was 12 centimeters; in a few days it decreased to 10 centimeters, and the pain and bleeding ceased. After the operation the doctor told me I would never be able to move my arm again. The ideology of Umbanda, for instance, based on the principles of charity and doing well to others, is felt as a continuation of Catholic practices.

I feel very happy to be able to do something to heal people, although indirectly.

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Portuguese interviewees talk about their experience in trance as an exhilarating one, that has changed their lives: All my friends in the terreiro that see my pomba gira 20 tell me how nice and funny she is, and how she helps women getting over their ailments. I have even asked them to take a photo of her when she incorporates me, so that I can have an idea what she looks like. I know it is my body, but one does not know what happens: There is a great freedom, a total freedom, opening […] one can laugh, play or cry, one feels entirely at ease when talking to the entities.

And I think that everyone in the terreiro feels that, there are no constraints to openly show what one feels. Not like in the Catholic cults, where one has to just repeat the formulae and behave in a proper way, but never show our inner selves… [Lino, 26, security guard]. In Afro-Brazilian religions there is no censorship, but a total freedom to be and do what one wishes… [Caeser, 39, real estate agent].

When I come to spend my Saturdays in the terreiro I know that, besides the company of the spiritual entities, I will be with my spiritual family, whom I can share things with: There is a good feeling of being together; since I joined the terreiro I never felt lonely again. As we saw, it was the Portuguese migrants in Brazil who, in their return, brought such practices with them. Several of the Portuguese cult leaders who are still performing nowadays were initiated by this woman. But this was only the beginning of the movement of people, spirits and goods across the Atlantic.

The pai de santo thus follows the guidelines of the original centre, with which he maintains a close relationship. Just like Africa appears as a symbolic paradise and a source of legitimization for the cults in the New World Capone a: This empowerment works above all for the cult leaders, who must prove their efficiency and justify their reputation if they wish to enlarge the number of their followers. But it also plays a role in the conceptualization clients themselves make of the honesty of and respect for the cult leader. They usually already have a regular clientele, and their fame is diffused by word of mouth from those who have already consulted them; they therefore do not generally advertise in newspapers or other media.

Such cases also show the importance of inter-individual networks that favor the diffusion of such transnational religions and the way these systems escape all sorts of state or official control Capone and Teisenhoffer , as well as the importance of these transatlantic networks. The direct connection with the cult house and its community of followers legitimates those earnings. This relationship is mentioned in two instances: Right after the revolution, many Portuguese returned from the former colonies, especially from Angola and Mozambique, where ferocious civil wars started up.

Her mother, aunt and the rest of the family used to consult traditional healers in Angola, and I was told about several episodes of cure linked with the expertise of such healers.

Museo de Historia Natural, Popayan: Address, Museo de Historia Natural Reviews: 4/5

One of them is a good example to illustrate conceptions of illness and cure that circulated between Portuguese colonial Africa and the metropole. The story was told by S. When the girl was already two years old, in a trip to the southern part of the country, the mother met an old lady who said she could cure her with some plants she had to collect before sunrise. She prepared an infusion which had to be applied to the face, and after a few months the girl was indeed healed. When she finally moved to Portugal, in the 80s, S.

This colonialism was thought to be different from that practiced by other nations and was allegedly based on good relations, the warm personality of the Portuguese and an open attitude that led to miscegenation between whites and blacks. This myth of a common past is rooted in the Portuguese self-imagery and is passed on to the ideology of the terreiros.

From semi-precious stones to birds, insects to indigenous pottery, monkeys to bears, and This is a traditional style museum in that everything is displayed in glass cases. From semi-precious stones to birds, insects to indigenous pottery, monkeys to bears, and pre-Columbian statues to a moose and a polar bear, the museum is still worth a visit, as it is quite well organized in its own fashion.

Some items might be wrongly attributed That said, the size of the collection is impressive. I especially like the birds and insects. I also had an excellant tour in Spanish by a young woman. Visit the museum and learn about species local and migratory in Cauca, the museum is well presented and displays a wide range of artefacts and preserved species of organisms to learn about We walked 3 blocks from our Hotel Arcada Payanesa for the 8: After paying Cop each and studing the San Agustin statues, we proceeded through the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor rooms of well displayed geology, fossils, mammals, birds, historical pottery, etc.

It cost per person to enter. The lady started out with a nice explanation of the statues that are found at San Agustin. Which was really nice. But you come here for the stuffed animals: If you enjoy that this is the museum I happened to be walking by on my way back from El Morro and thought I'd take a look.

The museum is simple- there are 3 levels, with simple exhibits which include rock, fossilized bones, taxidermy animals and pottery. Entrance costs 3, pesos. There are butterflies, beetles, spiders, serpents, rock collections, all too much to digest in the hour I spent there. We got a tour from a local student of natural history, so he was very informative about all the displays. Although it's small-ish, there's a lot to see.

It's an easy walk from the plaza area. They let us take all the pictures we wanted We liked the atmosphere. We were the only visitors. Had to wait 20 minutes untill somebody in charge could sell us a ticket.

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They have a lot of interesting stuff, but almost everything is in need of maintenance. The museum is small but packed full of a variety of crystals , fossils , birds , butterflies , insects , mammals.. The list goes on. It's really worth a visit and the pottery was dug up from what is now Flights Holiday Rentals Restaurants Things to do.

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Museo de Historia Natural, Popayan: Address, Museo de Historia Natural Reviews: Museo de Historia Natural. Museums , Speciality Museums. Carrera 2 1A , Popayan , Colombia.