Uma casa de "preto-velho" para "marinheiros" cariocas: a religiosidade em adeptos da Barquinha da Madrinha Chica no Estado do Rio de Janeiro.

Abstract

This dissertation undertook to investigate the process of religiosity building on members and visitors of Rio de Janeiro subsidiary of Centro Espfrita Obras de Caridade Principe Espadarte (the Igrejinha). The Igrejinha is part of a brazilian syncretic religious system (Barquinha) and it uses in its rituals the psychoactive beverage, ayahuasca (popularly known by daime) as sacrament. Through specific medium work done there, linked to the use of daime and directed by spiritual entities of umbanda (the pretos-velhos), it was possible to map the formation of a religion that is enabled by the group, but experienced individually. This, in turn, was investigated by participant observation and through research on the formation of the centre as well as its members. The experience of the researcher in the field from a "native" perspective acted also as an effective tool methodology. In a context of post-modernity where the religious transit opens space for a steady flow of relations between individuals of different groups, the Igrejinha was formed up from searches and meetings between people, so much more than a religion, this people began to experience a religiosity.