Death of African Gods and Black Religions in Peru
The African religions that came to Peru with the black slaves did not survive after the arrival, as was the case in Brazil, Cuba, or Haiti. As early as the period of the abolition of slavery (1854) these African cults had become nothing more than relics of the past. Forced by their Spanish masters t...
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| Published in: | Archives de sciences sociales des religions Vol. 22; no. 43; pp. 77 - 91 |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English French |
| Published: |
01-01-1977
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The African religions that came to Peru with the black slaves did not survive after the arrival, as was the case in Brazil, Cuba, or Haiti. As early as the period of the abolition of slavery (1854) these African cults had become nothing more than relics of the past. Forced by their Spanish masters to convert to Catholicism, the black people of Peru reacted by a profound refusal to adhere to Christianity; they reinterpreted the Catholic cult in an original way & used fraternities & other religious associations for purposes of solidarity & self-defense. The religion of the black Peruvian peasantry shows two major characteristics: (1) a festive religiosity which sanctifies social life & opposes the festive (sacred) to the profane (everyday), & (2) non-Roman religiosity, ie, there are several observances & rites which the peasants perform themselves without the assistance of the priest. The religion of the descendants of African slaves in Peru has primarily a conservative function of crystallizing the community's resistance vis-a-vis other groups by which it feels threatened. Modified HA. |
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| Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 0335-5985 |