Candomblé Ketu (or Queto in Portuguese) is the largest and most influential branch (''nation'') of

Candomblé Candomblé () is an African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West and Central Africa, especi ...

, a religion practiced primarily in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The word Candomblé means "ritual dancing or gather in honor of gods" and Ketu is the name of the Ketu region of Benin. Its liturgical language, known as ''yorubá'' or ''Nagô'', is a dialect of Yoruba. Candomblé Ketu developed in the early 19th century and gained great importance to Brazilian heritage in the 20th century.

History

Atabaque from opanije shop - Made by Mestre Dinho

''Queto'' is a system of beliefs that merges the Yoruba mythology (brought to the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

by Yoruba slaves) with different influences of other African Communities within Brazil, especially Bahia, where the Ala-Queto Nation is most prevalent. Queto developed in the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

. Yoruba slaves carried with them various religious customs, including a trance and divination system for communicating with their ancestors and spirits, animal sacrifice, and sacred drumming and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. The religion grew popular among slaves because it was a way for Yoruba slaves to maintain their culture and express independence. Its origins are entwined with the religious and beneficent brotherhoods (''irmandades'') organized by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

among ethnic Yoruba, Jeje and Bantu enslaved people; the Order of Our Lady of the Good Death (''Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte''), for women, and the Order of Our Lord of the Martyrdom (''Nosso Senhor dos Martírios''), for men. Numerous terreiros of the Ketu branch of Candomblé have received historic status and government protection from the

National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage The National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (, IPHAN) is a heritage register of the federal government of Brazil. It is responsible for the preservation of buildings, monuments, structures, objects and sites, as well as the register an ...

(IPHAN). Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká in Salvador was the first non-Roman Catholic and first Afro-Brazilian religious place of worship to receive protected heritage status in Brazil. Ilê Odó Ogé, also known as Terreiro Pilão de Prata, has protected heritage status from the state of Bahia.

Religious practices

As the largest branch of the Candomblé religion, Ketu origins have a major influence on the religion as a whole. Although there are various branches of Candomblé, the foundational beliefs are the same. They differ based on names, songs, and rituals primarily due to no written scripture. Each branch possesses a unique

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

under the Supreme god Olódùmarè who is seen as unequaled and beyond all existence. Ketu's deities are called Orixá. Orixá control the destiny of the people and act as a guardian. Orixá also represent different forces in nature, foods, colors, animals, and days of the week. In Ketu, Candomblé storytelling and animal sacrifices are important. Storytelling is expected to be done in a clear and precise way in order to be passed down to further generations. Animals such as pigs, goats, cows, sheep, and chicken are often sacrificed. Animals are seen as sacred, so they are often sacrificed as a way to transfer energy between nature, humans, and the Orixá.

Catholic resistance

There was a great deal of Catholic resistance due to the belief that the religion was devil's work. Slaves often incorporated front Catholic Saints in order to keep their practices a secret. Catholics wanted slaves to convert to their religion and feared retaliation if slaves became too independent.Dom Phillips
"Afro-Brazilian religions struggle against Evangelical hostility"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', February 6, 2015. Retrieved on 2016-02-22.

Pantheon

* Olorum (Supreme Being) * Exu * Ogum * Oxóssi * Oxum * Oxalufã * Oxaguiã * Orixá Okô * Olissá * Orunmilá * Xangô * Ayrá * Iemanjá * Ossãe * Oyá * Obaluaiê * Omolu * Jagun * Nanã Buruku * Oxumarê * Obá * Ewá * Ibêji * Logun Edé *

Iroko Iroko (Yoruba language, Yoruba: Ìrókò) is a large hardwood tree from the west coast of tropical Africa that can live up to 500 years. This is the common name for the genus ''Milicia'', in which there are two recognized species, which are close ...

* Olorokê * Apaoká * Iyami Oxorongá * Egungun (the ancestors)

References

External links