Umbandas: A History of Brazil

The history of Brazil from an original, charming and totally Brazilian perspective.

Historian Luiz Antonio Simas has frequented Umbanda temples since he was very young. Guided by Brazilian history and informed by his own journey, Simas has produced a unique and original study that aims to tell the country's history through the lens of Umbanda—so Brazilian that Umbanda is, it becomes plural. That's why the word "Umbanda" in the title of this book is not in the singular. The country's diversity, according to the author, is manifested in the various Umbanda traditions that exist, which have multiplied in stories like that of his grandmother, a woman from Alagoas who grew up in Pernambuco and moved to Rio de Janeiro, bringing her beliefs and rites with her.

While Catholicism was imposed by the Jesuits and the cult of the Orishas arrived in Brazil with the arrival of Africans, Umbanda became a Brazilian religion, truly ours, of our people—or of our peoples. In an approach that is at times political, at times poetic, and always documentary, Luiz Antonio Simas elaborates with historical rigor and literary verve the disputes that arise in the symbolic field in which Umbanda is constituted as a religion. By mapping this path, he tells us the history of Brazil in beautiful chronicles, which not only make for enjoyable reading but also serve as an extraordinary document for studies on non-white religiosities in the country.

We learn a lot in this history lesson that Professor Simas offers us in Umbandas: A History of Brazil . We learn about the first recordings of the word "Umbanda," we learn about the origins of our charms and the difference between them and amulets. We understand the origins of our life-enchanting rituals, whether we perform them on New Year's or Carnival. And we realize that, whether we practice its rites or not, whether we worship its entities or not, we, as Brazilians, are part of the multifaceted history of Umbandas.