Prayers and healing rituals in Brazil’s Mid-North region

Abstract

We present part of a historic-ethnographic investigation on healing rituals practiced by female faith healers (rezadeiras) in Brazil’s Mid-North region. We use oral history and ethnographic research methods to investigate the places where these faith healers practice their rituals, which, in many instances, correspond to their homes. We seek to understand the relationships between the sacred and the profane within these healing spaces. We analyze culture and religion as fields of knowledge between history and anthropology. This knowledge provides important contributions for historical-anthropological and historical-ethnographic studies. This knowledge is presented through multiple approaches and interpretations of the supernatural and divine that contribute to the analysis of cultural manifestations and reflect Brazil’s cultural diversity.