Abstract
This paper frames the baptism rite conducted at the Aragwaksã ceremony as a performance of the Pataxó Indians undertaken in an inter-cultural arena. Using ethnographic data, the article highlights the participative and creative interaction of Indians and tourists in the execution of the event. Attention will be drawn to the functions of the performance and its semiotic possibilities, but especially to the experiential fact. The ritual has multivocal potential, and the article focuses on how meanings emerge. Culture and indigenous identity are important topics and here the rite is perceived in terms of the communion that it provides, as it involves players and audience in the construction of the authenticity of ethnic and potentially traditional elements among the Pataxó.
Keywords:
Performance; Ritual; Experience; Tourism; Indigeneity; Pataxó