A religião dos encantados: os encantados como mediadores culturais no norte do Tocantins

Abstract

The present work intends to understand the configuration of entities called as enchanted, in what it was agreed to call Umbanda, in the north of Tocantins, especially in the city of Araguaína. In order to do that, the research was carried out in two terreiros, Tenda Espírita Umbandista Santa Joana d’Arc and Centro Espírita Santa Bárbara, which has Valdeci Pereira Reis and José Nazareno Oliveira de Aguiar as their respective leaders. These houses were selected, among other reasons, because in them it is possible to realize with greater clarity the differentiation between that category of entities and others. The presence of the enchanted in these terreiros, whether in the daily ritual or in the life trajectory of the leaders, is thought as fundamental for the construction of the Afro-religiosity found in the region, because the enchanteds are understood as cultural mediators between the diverse Afro-Brazilian religions who arrived there. The history of the north of Tocantins and the Afro-religions in Araguaína were constituted by several migratory flows of groups coming from several states, especially Maranhão and Pará.The presence of entities considered enchanted in these terreiros seems to be connected to the history of the region and Umbanda in the city that were constituted by diverse migratory flows coming from different states, especially Maranhão and Pará. In these localities were developed religions like Terecô, Tambor de Mina and Pajelança, in which the presence of the enchanteds is remarkable, different from what takes place in Umbanda in central-southern Brazil. Although none of the two houses mentioned denominate itself as participants in these religions, what we realize is that the Umbanda called by them has more of those religions than they would like to affirm, as is the case of enchanteds.