AFRO-INDIGENOUS ETHNOGENESIS AND AFRICAN RELIGIONS IN BRAZIL: HISTORY OF CANDOMBLÉ, UMBANDA AND BENZIMENTO

Abstract

This article examines the historical formation of African-derived religious traditions in Brazil—especially Candomblé, Umbanda, and the popular healing practices of benzedeiras (folk blessers)—from the perspective of an Afro-Indigenous ethnogenetic process. It argues that these religious traditions emerged from the encounter between African and Indigenous cultural elements within the Brazilian colonial and postcolonial context, incorporating European influences—particularly from popular Catholicism and Spiritism—while maintaining an essentially Afro-Indigenous character. The article first addresses the origins and historical development of Candomblé and Umbanda, highlighting the contributions of African and Amerindian cosmologies to the configuration of their pantheons, rituals, and practices. It then discusses the popular tradition of benzimento, understood as part of the same Afro-Indigenous religious mosaic, responsible for preserving healing knowledge and spiritual practices transmitted across generations. Throughout the text, it is demonstrated that these religious expressions play a fundamental role in the construction of ethnic identity, collective memory, and cultural resistance in Brazil. The article also emphasizes the internal plurality of these traditions—acknowledging the existence of multiple Candomblés, Umbandas, and forms of benzimento—as well as the historical and symbolic ties that connect them, shaped by shared trajectories of cultural reconfiguration. Finally, it argues that Candomblé, Umbanda, and benzimento are inseparable manifestations of a complex Afro-Indigenous ethnogenetic process, deeply intertwined with the formation of Brazilian religiosity and reflective of the diversity and richness of African and Indigenous heritages in the country.