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Bamboxê Obitikô and the Nineteenth-Century Expansion of Orisha Worship in Brazil

Abstract

Nagô freedman Rodolfo Manoel Martins de Andrade (Bamboxê Obitikô), remembered in oral traditions in Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and Lagos, was one of candomblé’s most renowned historical figures. Weaving oral tradition and archival research, the paper traces his path in Brazil. The first part of the paper examines his enslavement in the twilight of the Atlantic slave trade and his relationship to Marcelina da Silva, ialorixá of the terreiro Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká. Next, the paper addresses his travels to Lagos and different parts of Brazil, placing special emphasis on his time in Rio de Janeiro, where he gained a substantial following as a religious leader among the city’s West African (Mina) population. The paper also discusses his link to the alferes (ensign) Candido da Fonseca Galvão, popularly known as dom Obá II, whose father was compadre of Marcelina da Silva.

Keywords:
African freedmen; Afro-Atlantic religions; Black Atlantic

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