Recreating Africa: culture, kinship, and religion in the African-Portuguese world, 1441-1770

313 Pages·2003·3.412 MB·English

by  Sweet, James Hoke

recreating africa
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Recreating
AFRICA
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Culture, Kinship,
and Religion in the
African-Portuguese
World, 1441–1770
J A M E S H . S W E E T
the university of north carolina press
ChapelHillandLondon
©2003TheUniversityofNorthCarolinaPress
Allrightsreserved
DesignedbyJacqulineJohnson
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ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperinthisbookmeetstheguidelinesfor
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CouncilonLibraryResources.
Thepublicationofthisbookwassupportedinpart
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InternationalUniversity.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Sweet,JamesH.(JamesHoke)
RecreatingAfrica:culture,kinship,andreligion
intheAfrican-Portugueseworld,1441–1770/
byJamesH.Sweet.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn0-8078-2808-4(cloth:alk.paper)—
isbn0-8078-5482-4(pbk.:alk.paper)
1.Blacks—Brazil—Religion. 2.Blacks—Brazil—Social
conditions. 3.Slaveryandthechurch—Brazil—
History. 4.Slaveryandthechurch—Catholic
Church—History. 5.Afro-Braziliancults. 6.Brazil—
Civilization—Africaninfluences. I.Title.
f2659.n4s94 2003
981'.00496—dc21
2003001194
cloth 07 06 05 04 03 5 4 3 2 1
paper 07 06 05 04 03 5 4 3 2 1
to lyn, margaret, and ali

contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
part one: living and dying in the
african-portuguese diaspora
1 Demography,Distribution,andDiasporicStreams 13
2 Kinship,Family,andHouseholdFormation 31
3 Disease,Mortality,andMasterPower 59
part two: african religious responses
4 Catholicvs.‘‘Other’’intheWorldofBelievers 87
5 TheoryandPraxisintheStudyofAfricanReligions 103
6 AfricanDivinationintheDiaspora 119
7 Calundús,Curing,andMedicineintheColonialWorld 139
8 Witchcraft,Ritual,andResistanceinthe
African-PortugueseDiaspora 161
part three: africans and the catholic church
9 AfricanCatholicisminthePortugueseWorld 191
10 TheImpactsofAfricanReligiousBeliefson
BrazilianCatholicism 217
Conclusion 227
Notes 231
Bibliography 265
Index 287

maps, tables, && illustrations
maps
1 ThePortugueseColonialWorld 4
2 CentralAfrica,SeventeenthandEighteenthCenturies 17
3 AfricanNationsandEthnicitiesasTheyAppearin
BrazilianDocuments 21
4 ColonialBrazil 25
5 PeopleandStatesofSenegambia,Sixteenthto
EighteenthCenturies 88
6 PortugalandNorthAfrica,SixteenthCentury 92
tables
1 EthnicitiesandNationsofAfricanSlavesListedinthe
WillsandTestamentsofSlaveholdersinRiodeJaneiro,
1737–1740 26
2 SlaveAcquisitionsoftheBenedictineMonasteryOurLady
ofMonserrate,RiodeJaneiro,1620–1772 28
3 MarriagesInvolvingAfricansintheParishofNossaSenhora
daCandelária,RiodeJaneiro,1751–1761 45
4 MarriagesInvolvingAfricansintheParishofSãoSalvadordo
MundodeGuaratiba,RiodeJaneiro,1763–1770 46
5 MarriagesInvolvingAfricansRepresentedintheBaptismal
RecordsoftheParishofSãoJosé,RiodeJaneiro,
1751–1758 48