ENCCHANTMENTS OF RESISTANCE: THE AFRO-AMAZONIAN UMBANDA OF DONA ARLETE´S HOUSE

Abstract

The study investigated the trajectory of D. Arlete’s Umbanda house, located on Tentém Island in the Tocantins Amazon region. The analysis was supported by the theoretical contributions of Barros (2004), Silva (2005), Fanon (2008), Kilomba (2019), Pinto (2010), and Antonacci (2013), authors who made it possible to understand the multiple historical, social, and religious aspects of the Umbanda practices developed there. The methodology employed was oral history, which stands out for its commitment to valuing voices that have been historically silenced, marginalized, and rendered invisible by official discourses. In this context, Umbanda emerges as a Brazilian religious expression that, over the years, has faced social and political resistance, engaging in a continuous struggle for recognition and legitimacy within the national landscape. Until this study, the history of D. Arlete’s house had not been documented. This gap began to be filled through the application of oral history, using recorded interviews with D. Arlete and direct observation of the sacred space. These primary sources allow for an understanding of the strategies of resistance to religious racism that she upholds in the daily life of the house. With more than four decades dedicated to Umbanda practice, D. Arlete has developed subtle and resilient strategies to confront religious racism and the tensions that threaten her faith. With the wisdom of speech and the power of silence, she has learned to affirm and preserve her religiosity. In her house, the filha de santo keeps ancestral cults and Black traditions alive, strengthening a spiritual legacy deeply rooted in Afro-Brazilian history.