Paper short abstract:

This paper examines kinship relations between Candomblé followers and gods (orixás). Within the socio-historical Brazilian context, these relationships are established through ritual, social and bodily action. They blur distinctions between profane and divine, past and present, and self and other.

Paper long abstract:

When kinship terms are applied to relationships that are not legitimized by blood or law, they are often addressed as metaphorical or symbolic. But are they necessarily less 'real' than other family relations? In the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé kin relations with gods (orixás) are essential for the construction of the self and the religious group. These relations are defined in the oracle and are strengthened through rituals, shared food, and recognition of common personality traits.

This paper argues that the identification with the orixás goes beyond a symbolic bond. By relating to their orixás as mothers and fathers, Candomblé followers create a stable network of kinship relations that shapes their experience of being in the world. In the Brazilian context the intimate relationship with the orixás can be understood as a way to restore dignity and to re-establish a link with African ancestors that has been systematically destroyed by colonial violence. Moreover, the construction of self as a child of orixás simultaneously shapes social relations as well as bodily experiences. The father and mother orixás are inscribed in the human body by way of ritual, and they can become present through their children's bodies in trance. Hence, concepts of spiritual and biological kinship turn out to be peculiarly entangled.

In conclusion, through ritual action, social structure and bodily involvement, kinship relations with orixás are established as real, rather than metaphorical, in a Candomblé community. The experience of kinship ties with orixás simultaneously define and blur distinctions between profane and divine, past and present, and self and other.