Recreating Africa: Culture, Kinship, and Religion in the African-Portuguese World, 1441-1770

308 Pages·2003·3.55 MB·English

by  James H. Sweet

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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
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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
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
6 CrudeDeathandBirthRatesonVariousBrazilian
Properties,1617–1778 63
illustrations
QuimbandainCentralAfrica,seventeenthcentury 55
Slavesinthetronco,nineteenthcentury 76
Capuchinpriestburninganidolhouse,Kongo,ca.1750 111
FuneralmassinKongo,ca.1750 114
Trialofjaji,CentralAfrica,seventeenthcentury 124
Angolanxinguilas,seventeenthcentury 141
FuneralprocessionofCongoleseroyalty,RiodeJaneiro,
nineteenthcentury 143
CalundúinnortheastBrazil,seventeenthcentury 150
ImbangalaqueenTemba-Ndumba,seventeenthcentury 177
Fruitvendorwithbolsasdemandinga,RiodeJaneiro,
ca.1776 180
CatholicmasscelebratedinKongo,ca.1750 192
Masterbeatinghisslavewithapalmatória,Brazil,
nineteenthcentury 212
acknowledgments
SeveralyearsagoattheAmericanHistoricalAssociationmeet-
inginChicago,IwasonmywaytodinnerwithColinPalmer,
MaryKarasch,andMonicaSchuler.Aswewereleavingthelobbyofthehotel,
oneofthemspottedPhilipCurtinacrossacrowdedroom.Wemadeourway
towhereCurtinwas,andPalmerintroducedmeasoneofhisstudents.Cur-
tin’sreply,shortandpithy,wassimply,‘‘Ah,oneofmygrandchildren!’’
AsIponderedthissometimelater,Ibegantoappreciatethedeepermean-
ingofCurtin’scomment.Istandontheshouldersofanimpressivegroupof
scholars who fell under the influence of Curtin and JanVansina at the Uni-
versityofWisconsinatMadisoninthelate1960sandearly1970s.Some,like
Schuler,PaulLovejoy,andJoeMiller,weretrainedasAfricanists.Others,like
Palmer,Karasch,andFranklinKnight,weretrainedprimarilyasLatinAmeri-
canists.Butthecommondenominatorinalloftheirworkisanemphasison
the breadth and scope of what has come to be called the African diaspora.
Long before therewas a discrete field known as ‘‘African diaspora’’ history,
CurtinandVansinawereproducingsomeofthefinestdiasporascholarsinthe
world.Morethanafewofthesescholarshaveinfluencedthismanuscript.In
recognitionofthisrichlegacy,Ibeginbythankingtwoofthe‘‘grandfathers’’
ofAfricandiasporahistoricalstudy,PhilipCurtinandJanVansina.
Byfar,themostimportantpersoninmyintellectualdevelopmenthasbeen
ColinPalmer.PalmertookaninterestinmewhenIwasanundergraduateat
the University of North Carolina. Supervising my ‘‘duties’’ as a work-study
studentinthedepartmentofhistory,hewouldoftenfindmedozingwithmy
headburiedinahalf-finishedcrosswordpuzzle.Oneday,perhapscuriousto
see how shiftless I really was, he asked to read a paper I had written on the
Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua.To his surprise, the paper was engaging
xi
and well written (or so he claims). From that day forward, he has refused
to allow me to settle for mediocrity. As an adviser, critic, and friend, he has
been unwavering in his support. I can only hope that the publication of this
bookwillinsomewayjustifytheenergyandtimehehasinvestedinme.For
everything,Iameternallygrateful.
Othermentorsandcolleagueshavebeeninstrumentalinhelpingmealong
theway. In my first yearof graduate school, John Chasteen, beyond being a
friendlyandinsightfulcritic,emphasizedtheimportanceofwritingandstyle
tothehistorian’scraft.HeimprovedmywritinginwaysthatIhopewillre-
main our secret.Carter Doughertyand Patrick Rivers were colleagues, crit-
ics,andgoodfriendswhileIwasinChapelHill.LydiaLindseyandCarlton
WilsonatNorthCarolinaCentralUniversitywerebothimmenselyhelpfulin
theirsuggestionswhenIwaswritinguptheearlyresearchthateventuallyled
tothisbook.
At the City University of NewYork, I would like to thank David Nasaw
forhisadviceandsupportwhenIwasaPh.D.student.MichaelYudellmade
mymoveandadjustmenttothecityfareasier.TeofiloRuizwasaninfluential
teacher,critic,andfriendbeforedepartingforgreenerpasturesattheUniver-
sityofCalifornia–LosAngeles.AdaFerreratNewYorkUniversityprovided
astimulatingseminaronLatinAmericanandCaribbeanhistoryandwasgra-
ciousenoughtoserveonmyoralexamcommittee.MegCrahan,SusanBesse,
Donald Robotham, and James Oakes served on my dissertation committee,
someofthemonshortnotice.SpecialthankstoProf.Crahan,whoalongwith
Colin Palmer, was one of my primary readers. Her advice and suggestions
wereinvaluablethroughoutmygraduatetraining.
JohnThorntonandLindaHeywoodreadanearlydraftofthemanuscript,
providing thorough critiques and suggestions, particularly from the Central
Africanperspective.ThorntonreadthemanuscriptasecondtimefortheUni-
versityof North Carolina Press, again making important suggestions for re-
vision.Thornton also helped with translations of Central African languages
andgavemeaccesstoseveralofhisforthcomingarticles.AlthoughThornton
andIdisagreeonsomeofthefinerpointsofCentralAfricanreligion,hehas
remainedasteadfastsupporterofthisproject,demonstratingaspiritofcol-
legialityand mentorship that will serve as a model as I move forward in my
career.Hiscontributionshavemadethisaninfinitelybetterbook.
IwouldalsoliketothankthePress’ssecondreader,MaryKarasch,whose
closeandcarefulreadingofthemanuscriptwasinstrumentalinshapingmyre-
visions.Karaschprovideddetailedsuggestionsthathaveimprovedthebookin
countlessways.Othershavealsocommentedandmadevaluablesuggestions.
Paul Lovejoy and David Richardson provided encouraging comments when
xii acknowledgments
theyheardmedelivertheconferencepapersthatformthecoresofChapters
6and7.JoeMillerreadportionsofthemanuscriptandprovidedimportant
feedback. In the book’s final stages,Wyatt MacGaffey, Roque Ferreira, and
TerryReymadeimportantcontributions.Thankstothemall.
ElaineMaisner,myeditorattheUniversityofNorthCarolinaPress,shep-
herded the manuscript through its various stages, making many useful sug-
gestions along theway. Elaine’s patience and enthusiasm made the daunting
processoffirst-timepublicationatrulyenjoyableexperience.
AsIwasconductingtheresearchforthebook,Iincurredanumberofdebts.
Without the financial support of a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship and a Social
ScienceResearchCouncilInternationalDissertationResearchFellowship,the
research could not have been completed. In Portugal, the staffs of various
librariesandarchiveswereconsistentlyhelpful.Particularpraiseisduetothe
staff of the Arquivo Nacional doTorre deTombo, whose patience and alac-
rity were tested daily as I sorted through documents from dozens of Inqui-
sitioncases.Ialsobenefitedfromthegoodwillandcomraderieoftwoother
FulbrightfellowsinLisbon,MichaelKerlinandAmyBuono.Theircompan-
ionshipandgoodhumormadebeingawayfrommyfamilyfareasier.InBra-
zil, Aloysio de Oliveira Martins Filho, director of the Arquivo da Curia in
Rio, took great interest in my project and made my work there go quickly
andsmoothly.ThestaffoftheArquivoNacionalalsowentaboveandbeyond
thecallofduty,allowingmeaccesstofragilemanumissiondocumentsfrom
the eighteenth century, documents that remain badly in need of restoration.
Finally, the staff at theVatican Film Libraryat Washington University in St.
Louiswereefficientandcourteous.
Whileprofessionaldebtsareimportanttoacknowledge,mytrajectoryasa
historianhasbeeninfluencedprimarilybyfriendsandfamily.TonyScottand
ToddMcMastershavebeenlife-longfriendsandsupporters.Icouldneverre-
payeitherofthemfortheirdecency,loyalty,andgoodsense.Iwouldberemiss
ifIdidnotthankDennyDenison,CliveHarriott,VinsonJenkins,DanaLums-
den, Susan Morgan, Kiko Nakano,Warren Robinson, JamesTaylor,Valerie
Williams,andCedricWoods.Inwaysbigandsmall,youallformthefounda-
tionofmyhistoricalconsciousness.TomyfamilyinSouthAfrica,inopening
upyourheartsandhomestousonayearlybasis,younotonlyproviderespite
fromthegrindofwork,butyoureaffirminustheparamountimportanceof
ancestors,family,andkinship.Margaret,Ali,andIareproudtocallourselves
Lekoma, Mabale, Motsepe, and Ramaphosa, as well as Sibilsky and Sweet.
Weareenrichedandmadelargerbyyouall.
Finally, there are three peoplewhose influence in my life has simply been
immeasurable.Mymother,LynSweet,dedicatedalargeportionofherlifeto
acknowledgments xiii