Paper short abstract:

This paper presents an ethnographic study on ways of transmission of religious knowledge in Batuque Rio Grande do Sul.

Paper long abstract:

This paper presents an ethnographic study on ways of transmission of religious knowledge in the Batuque Rio Grande do Sul. Batuque is one of the regional forms of Orisha worship in Brazil, such as the Candomblé in Bahia and Xangô in Pernambuco. In Batuque the body of knowledge about mythology, dance and choreography, songs, prayers and culinary deities is called by its adherents to "fundamentos." To his supporters the main mode of transmission and learning of these "fundamentos" is through the observation of religious elders and religious practice. The new recruit must be present at the ceremonies of the cult to go through initiation rites and actively participate in all activities of the yard, as it is cooking you learn the favorite foods of the orishas, cleaning the religious objects to take care of the altar (peji), singing and dancing learn to revere the deities, listening to the myths you learn about the history and personality of each orisha. In afro-brazilian religions learn and transmit knowledge liturgical is also transmit and receive the axé, the force that moves the world, which allows to happen and the future. In a religious world in which speech is essential in the transmission of knowledge liturgical body speech and gestures when loaded axé are ways to transmit this force from one person to another, thus continuing to religious knowledge, since for adepts Batuque have a profound knowledge of religion is to have axé.