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Paper short abstract:

Analyze the Yoruba attire tradition, axó ebi, adapted in São Paulo's Candomblé, Axé Ilê Obá. Rooted in Yoruba culture, it involves using the same fabric during ceremonies, fostering a communal bond through visual unity. Uncommon in Brazilian Candomblés, Axé Ilê Obá embraced this tradition in 2022.

Paper long abstract:

The purpose of this communication is to analyze the Yoruba tradition of attire known as axó ebi, which has been adapted to the context of a candomblé in São Paulo, Axé Ilê Obá. Axó ebi constitutes a sartorial practice rooted in Yoruba culture, wherein during social, religious, and political ceremonies, all participants use the same fabric in their clothes, sharing a sense of community expressed through the visuality of their garments. This tradition, characteristic of the Yoruba people, is not commonplace in Brazilian Candomblés, even those dedicated to the worship of Yoruba orixás, such as the queto nation houses. However, in the year 2022, the candomblé Axé Ilê Obá adopted and adapted this tradition, employing a wax print fabric for the skirts and bows of the daughters of the orixá Iansã, the goddess of storms, and the current Ialorixá, the priestess leader of the terreiro, Mother Paula of Iansã. The communication will address the underlying motivations for the adoption of axó ebi in this house, considering the movements of (re)Africanization in candomblé. To analyze the attire of the practitioners of Axé Ilê Obá, sources emanating from the adherents themselves will be utilized, such as the book "O perfil do Aché Ile Obá" by Sylvia Egydio (1980), interviews with the clothing manufacturers responsible to produce the ilê's garments, and the image repository captured by the terreiro's official photographers, made available for research purposes.