Babá Egum: culto e cuidado ancestral afro-brasileiro na Bahia

Abstract

The objective of this dissertation is to analyze the relationship between the living and the dead, which is ritualistically engendered in the worship of babá egum in Bahia, more specifically, in Salvador and on Itaparica Island. The analysis starts from the iorubá understanding of death as continuity. In this study, I consider the constitutive elements of this Afro-Brazilian religious practice, highlighting the pathways that give access to the system of participation in the rituals, which can be guaranteed through consanguinity with the founders and leaders of the terreiros or via multiple triggers such as sickness, heritage or ancestral choice. The findings gathered in the empirical research, together with the socio-anthropological theory, ground the discussions regarding kinship, ancestry, tradition and gender. In this manner, the dynamics of mutual care between the deified male ancestors and the religious community, which dedicates itself to continuously maintaining this connection, is the guiding thread of this research.