Macumba/Candomble












    

    I.
Profile Report


    

      

    1. 
Name:
 Macumba is the "umbrella" term used for two principle forms of African spirit
  worship:
Candomble
 and
Umbanda
. It is the Brazilian equivalent of
Voudon
 and
Santeria
. Although macumba is associated with black magic, a more appropriate term is
Quimbanda
.

      

    2. 
Founder:
 Black slaves shipped to Brazil in the 1550s brought the worship of African Gods, or
orishas
, to Brazil.

      

    3. 
Date of Birth:
 Not applicable

      

    4. 
Birth Place:
 Most of the slaves who incorporated their religion into Brazilian culture were from
  Africa.

      

    5. 
Year Founded:
 1550s

      

    6. 
Brief History:
 When the Portugese began shipping slaves to Brazil in the sixteenth century, the
  country already had an amalgamation of religions. Catholicism was desperately trying to
  rid the area of the native Indian beliefs. The slaves found their beliefs in spirits and
  magic synonymous with native faiths. The two intertwined; while the slaves outwardly
  worshipped under the Catholic faith, they covertly carried on their religious beliefs
  until their liberation in 1888. At least fifteen generations of slaves had grown up with
  a belief in the
orishas
.
Candomble
, like Santeria, resembles Yoruban religions. The name derives from the celebration
  held on coffee plantations by the blacks. The first center for
Candomble
 was in Salvador, the old capital city of Brazil. The religion's spiritual leaders are
  women, or high priestesses. Originally, the men held these roles, but as slaves they had
  to spend their days in the field.
Umbanda
 derives from the Hindu
aum-gandha
, meaning "divine principle." It gathers its beliefs about spiritism and spiritual
  healing from both African religions and Hinduism and Buddhism.
Umbandistas
 also communicate with Catholic saints, but through intermediaries (ancestors).
Umbanda
 began in 1904. Black magic, or
Quimbanda
 originated earlier, and is still in use today.

      

    7. 
Sacred or Revered Text:
 Much of the teachings are still oral.

      

    8. Cult or Sect:

Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" 
and "sect" are employed in popular discourse.  Since the Religious 
Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and 
appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious 
diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative 
concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes.  For a 
more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the 
concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our 

Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find 
additional links to related issues. 

      

    9. 
Beliefs:
 In their book
Healing States
 (1986), Alberto Villoldo and Stanley Krippner found that the
Candomble
 and
Umbanda
 faiths have three common traits:

      

        

      • Humans have both a physical and spiritual body.

      • Discarnate entities constantly contact the physical world.

      • Humans can learn to contact and incorporate the spirits for the purposes of healing
  and spiritual evolution.

      

      Both groups call upon the deity Exus to protect their temples.  Priests are called
babalao
 and are in charge of handling animals that will be used as sacrifices in rituals. For
  members, rigorous devotion to ritualistic chants and dancing are required for initiation
  into the group.  Abstinence from certain food and sex is also required.
Umbandistas
, like other Macumba groups, believe that there are no "evil" spirits, only
  misbehaving spirits that need to be educated.
Quimbanda
, however, uses this mischief for its own desires. Although considered black magic by
  many,
Quimbandistas
 simply siphon power from spirits that are unruly, and therefore their practices are
  considered tainted.

      

    10. 
Size of Group:
 Millions publicly practice Catholicism but privately worship the
orishas
.

      

    11. 
Remarks:
 Every year, on the 1st of January, a celebration for the
orisha
 Yemanji, "water goddess" takes place in Brazil. Most of the events are filmed and
  broadcast in Rio de Janeiro, but the festival takes place in almost every community
  across the country. More than one million celebrants dress in white and wade into the
  ocean at dusk. High priestesses initiate new members into the priesthood. Members sail
  little boats filled with religious artifacts (including statues of saints) into the
  surf. If the boats sink, the orisha Yemanji (who is associated with the Virgin Mary of
  the Catholic faith) has heard the prayers of devotees and will continue her support for
  another year.

    

    

    II. Links to Macumba Web Sites
    



    

    

    

    III. Selected References
    



    

    

    

Created by: unknown
    
For Soc 257 New Religious Movements
    
University of Virginia
    
Circa 1996. 
    
Last modified: 05/10/01