Weaving spiritualities: confluences between banto-congo religiosity, catholicism and amerindian cults in the territory of Minas Gerais

Abstract

This article analyzes how religious practices of banto-congo origin intertwine, in the Minas Gerais territory, with catholicism and with amerindian cult practices, resulting in unique celebrations and rituals that, in the face of the discourse forged by intellectuals regarding nagô purity, enjoyed of little recognition under the stigma of mixture and non-traditionality. The belief systems present among black people in Minas Gerais not only reflect the adaptability of afro-minas communities in the face of concessions from whiteness, but, mainly, highlight strategies for preserving and reinventing their traditions in a diverse cultural context. Thus, they demonstrate that the religious events in question are complex spaces of cultural resistance and identity expression for afro-descendant communities in Minas Gerais.