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Macumba: The Teachings of Maria-José, Mother of the Gods
Every January millions of people crowd the seashore to receive the blessings of lemanja, goddess of the sea. All year long in terreiros in Brazil and around the world, Orixa worshipers revel in the divine presence of the living Gods, directly experiencing the sacred energy of the universe. Macumba is a way of life and belief that is followed by 15 million Brazilians, as well as millions more across the Western Hemisphere. Yet it-along with its sister-religions of Vodun, Santeria, and Ifa-remains a little known and largely misunderstood spiritual path. This book is a welcome introduction to a rich and profound tradition whose roots lie in ancient Africa. In a series of interviews, Maria José, a Mae de Santo (Mother of the Gods), explains the philosophy and practice of Macumba. She introduces the Orixas, a pantheon of deities who survived the Middle Passage to Brazil along with the African slaves. With humor and grace she describes the essence of Macumba, the divine interaction between humans and living gods, and the spiritual regeneration of its followers. Meet a fascinating Mother of Gods and discover another path to wisdom. Learn to listen to the drumbeat-heartbeat of the mystical universe as it continues to deepen and expand. Saravá Umbanda!
- GenresReligion
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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About the author
Serge Bramly
51 books9 followersSerge Bramly is a French-language writer and essayist.
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February 14, 2026
A WRITER INVESTIGATES A BRAZILIAN FORM OF YORUBA
Serge Bramly (b. 1949) is a French writer, essayist, and art critic.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1977 book, “Brazilians are reluctant to talk about Macumba. They either deny its existence or pretend to be above it. Only rarely do they admit to practicing it. They prefer to think of it as an outmoded legacy from the past, which can be happily consigned to the category of national folklore. They attribute it to the most illiterate members of Brazilian society. Macumba, they say, is the religion of the old black slaves who were brought to work Brazil’s plantations between the 16th and 19th centuries. They call it a corrupted version of African animism; a naive, chaotic hotch-potch of superstitions and beliefs which …. survived in Brazil as a form of opposition to the religion of the masters during the long period of slavery. As to its current practice, they view it an an antiquated effort on the part of blacks to preserve their integrity, a kind of blind sustenance in adversity.” (Pg. 9-10)
He continues, “Early in 1972 I attended a number of Macumba ceremonies in cities throughout Brazil. While I was everywhere received with the same friendliness and warmth, I was never allowed to forget that I was a foreigner---a ‘gringo.’ And while I was able to observe certain common features, I was struck too by the disparity, the diversity and the lack of organization between the different centers. The religious calendar, rites and vocabulary differ from center to center. Even the name of the cult is not the same from state to state. The word ‘Macumba’ is actually used only in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and believers generally employ the word ‘Umbanda.’” (Pg. 11)
He asks questions of the head of a Macumba center, and is told, “Macumba is a general term. Originally, it meant the place where the black slaves performed their rites. Today… it is used to designate all the different Afro-Brazilian sects. It can mean the act of sacrifice to the gods… the place of worship… the rites which are celebrated in such a place, or simply the cult itself… However, the most traditional centers are now on their way out, and their place is being taken by growing numbers of Umbanda centers. Umbanda draws on many different sources. It incorporates Christian elements into the African rituals and appropriates all the mystics it has heard of. It also practices spiritism. Then there is Quimbanda, black magic… but there are no clearly defined boundaries between all the various forms of Afro-Brazilian religion. That’s why, for simplicity’s sake they are generally referred to as Macumba… However, all its forms share a common base.” (Pg. 13-14)
He recounts, “The Brazilian friend who has invited me to attend the meeting leads me through the opening in the small room divider. I take off my sandals. I am introduced to the Mother of the Gods. Mother Maria-José is about fifty years old. Her features are delicate and energetic. She watches me with an amused curiosity.” (Pg. 38) Later, “She asks about my past and about the country where I live. For her France evokes … luxury perfume… I tell her that I was born in Tunisia… and that I only later emigrated to Europe… I tell her that [Tunisia] is a small country in North Africa. 'Africa? You were born in Africa?’… I am as amazed as she is. I explain to her that North Africa is not exactly what she means by Africa. ‘Africa is Africa!’ she declares categorically. ‘Our gods come from Africa. Our slave ancestors were also from Africa. Africa is the land of life… you are one of our own, one of our children.” (Pg. 43-44)
She continues, “My son, our gods and spirits are all we have. We have nothing else. No sacred texts, no monuments, no enduring references. That is both our weakness and our strength. If we stopped singing and dancing, if we stopped lending our bodies to the gods so that they can descend to earth, the gods would leave us… And our religion would disappear… We know that our gods are alive because we see them all the time incarnate in the bodies of men and women.” (Pg. 44-45)
He asks her, “Is it necessary to be drunk and dizzy before a trance can begin?” and he is told, “Of course not… When they drink and smoke, the daughters of the gods are already no longer themselves. It is the gods who are drinking and smoking.” (Pg. 46-47)
He asks if she is the ‘stage director’ during trances, and is told, “I am there to make sure our gods help everyone. I do whatever I can to control the trances so that they are neither dangerous nor ineffective… You see, the gods and spirits are not that different from you and me. They follow their own natures and obey their own desires. They can be influenced just like people.” (Pg. 50)
She recalls, “Our African ancestors were stripped of everything by their masters. Stripped of all material things. But the rhythms of their native land were deeply rooted in their minds. Even when they were forbidden, they survived in memory. And when they converted the slaves sang the Christian prayers to the only melodies they knew. That was the only way they knew of keeping their identity.” (Pg. 57)
He asks, “Then there was a time when the government actively opposed Macumba?” and he is told, “I suppose the Catholic Church was behind it all. They must have applied pressure to make our centers illegal. They’re always saying that Brazil is the largest Roman Catholic country in the world and that Macumba tarnishes our image. Personally, I don’t see how.” (Pg. 99)
He asks, “I noticed many traces of Christianity in the terreiro---rosaries, figures of saints… and yet you say that the Catholic Church actively persecuted you at one time. How do you reconcile Christianity and Macumba?” She tells him, “The Church tried to persecute us… They called us instruments of the devil, confiscated our drums, and prevented us from holding meetings… They they converted us to Christianity. Christianity is a great and beautiful thing. We learned a lot from it… it provided an officially sanctioned form through which we could pray to our own gods. There’s nothing wrong with calling Oxalá 'Christ' so long as you recognize his true powers in Christ… The Portuguese didn’t like to see slaves praying to black gods… Our ancestors ...replaced the ancestral figures on their altars with statues of saints… And the Portuguese thought, ‘What wonderful slaves, all they do is pray to Jesus Christ.’ Each god corresponded to a saint, and everyone was happy.’” (Pg. 102-103)
She explains, “Macumba is essentially a recognition of the forces which surround us and the study of the means which allow us to live in harmony with those forces. It’s a system which envelops us, structures us, protects us… The person who trusts his or her own intuition, who learns to listen only to his or her inner voice, is practicing Macumba.” (Pg. 122-123)
Later, she adds, “You say ‘mysterious, supernatural forces,’ but our forces aren't the least bit mysterious---they are the most natural thing on earth!” (Pg. 164)
She observes, “But good and evil are human constructs… values created by us. The gods have never heard of them. WE ask the gods to work for good or evil ends, that is for OUR good, OUR ill. But the gods are above all that. Our morality is of little concern to them.” (Pg. 198-199)
“Brazil has many faces. It’s Portuguese, it’s Indian, but above all Black… the Indians transmitted all their secrets to our slave ancestors, and it was the blacks tho worked to keep them alive. It was the blacks’ labor tht built Brazil economically, too. Brazil is African, my child African.” (Pg. 210)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying indigenous religions.
Serge Bramly (b. 1949) is a French writer, essayist, and art critic.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1977 book, “Brazilians are reluctant to talk about Macumba. They either deny its existence or pretend to be above it. Only rarely do they admit to practicing it. They prefer to think of it as an outmoded legacy from the past, which can be happily consigned to the category of national folklore. They attribute it to the most illiterate members of Brazilian society. Macumba, they say, is the religion of the old black slaves who were brought to work Brazil’s plantations between the 16th and 19th centuries. They call it a corrupted version of African animism; a naive, chaotic hotch-potch of superstitions and beliefs which …. survived in Brazil as a form of opposition to the religion of the masters during the long period of slavery. As to its current practice, they view it an an antiquated effort on the part of blacks to preserve their integrity, a kind of blind sustenance in adversity.” (Pg. 9-10)
He continues, “Early in 1972 I attended a number of Macumba ceremonies in cities throughout Brazil. While I was everywhere received with the same friendliness and warmth, I was never allowed to forget that I was a foreigner---a ‘gringo.’ And while I was able to observe certain common features, I was struck too by the disparity, the diversity and the lack of organization between the different centers. The religious calendar, rites and vocabulary differ from center to center. Even the name of the cult is not the same from state to state. The word ‘Macumba’ is actually used only in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and believers generally employ the word ‘Umbanda.’” (Pg. 11)
He asks questions of the head of a Macumba center, and is told, “Macumba is a general term. Originally, it meant the place where the black slaves performed their rites. Today… it is used to designate all the different Afro-Brazilian sects. It can mean the act of sacrifice to the gods… the place of worship… the rites which are celebrated in such a place, or simply the cult itself… However, the most traditional centers are now on their way out, and their place is being taken by growing numbers of Umbanda centers. Umbanda draws on many different sources. It incorporates Christian elements into the African rituals and appropriates all the mystics it has heard of. It also practices spiritism. Then there is Quimbanda, black magic… but there are no clearly defined boundaries between all the various forms of Afro-Brazilian religion. That’s why, for simplicity’s sake they are generally referred to as Macumba… However, all its forms share a common base.” (Pg. 13-14)
He recounts, “The Brazilian friend who has invited me to attend the meeting leads me through the opening in the small room divider. I take off my sandals. I am introduced to the Mother of the Gods. Mother Maria-José is about fifty years old. Her features are delicate and energetic. She watches me with an amused curiosity.” (Pg. 38) Later, “She asks about my past and about the country where I live. For her France evokes … luxury perfume… I tell her that I was born in Tunisia… and that I only later emigrated to Europe… I tell her that [Tunisia] is a small country in North Africa. 'Africa? You were born in Africa?’… I am as amazed as she is. I explain to her that North Africa is not exactly what she means by Africa. ‘Africa is Africa!’ she declares categorically. ‘Our gods come from Africa. Our slave ancestors were also from Africa. Africa is the land of life… you are one of our own, one of our children.” (Pg. 43-44)
She continues, “My son, our gods and spirits are all we have. We have nothing else. No sacred texts, no monuments, no enduring references. That is both our weakness and our strength. If we stopped singing and dancing, if we stopped lending our bodies to the gods so that they can descend to earth, the gods would leave us… And our religion would disappear… We know that our gods are alive because we see them all the time incarnate in the bodies of men and women.” (Pg. 44-45)
He asks her, “Is it necessary to be drunk and dizzy before a trance can begin?” and he is told, “Of course not… When they drink and smoke, the daughters of the gods are already no longer themselves. It is the gods who are drinking and smoking.” (Pg. 46-47)
He asks if she is the ‘stage director’ during trances, and is told, “I am there to make sure our gods help everyone. I do whatever I can to control the trances so that they are neither dangerous nor ineffective… You see, the gods and spirits are not that different from you and me. They follow their own natures and obey their own desires. They can be influenced just like people.” (Pg. 50)
She recalls, “Our African ancestors were stripped of everything by their masters. Stripped of all material things. But the rhythms of their native land were deeply rooted in their minds. Even when they were forbidden, they survived in memory. And when they converted the slaves sang the Christian prayers to the only melodies they knew. That was the only way they knew of keeping their identity.” (Pg. 57)
He asks, “Then there was a time when the government actively opposed Macumba?” and he is told, “I suppose the Catholic Church was behind it all. They must have applied pressure to make our centers illegal. They’re always saying that Brazil is the largest Roman Catholic country in the world and that Macumba tarnishes our image. Personally, I don’t see how.” (Pg. 99)
He asks, “I noticed many traces of Christianity in the terreiro---rosaries, figures of saints… and yet you say that the Catholic Church actively persecuted you at one time. How do you reconcile Christianity and Macumba?” She tells him, “The Church tried to persecute us… They called us instruments of the devil, confiscated our drums, and prevented us from holding meetings… They they converted us to Christianity. Christianity is a great and beautiful thing. We learned a lot from it… it provided an officially sanctioned form through which we could pray to our own gods. There’s nothing wrong with calling Oxalá 'Christ' so long as you recognize his true powers in Christ… The Portuguese didn’t like to see slaves praying to black gods… Our ancestors ...replaced the ancestral figures on their altars with statues of saints… And the Portuguese thought, ‘What wonderful slaves, all they do is pray to Jesus Christ.’ Each god corresponded to a saint, and everyone was happy.’” (Pg. 102-103)
She explains, “Macumba is essentially a recognition of the forces which surround us and the study of the means which allow us to live in harmony with those forces. It’s a system which envelops us, structures us, protects us… The person who trusts his or her own intuition, who learns to listen only to his or her inner voice, is practicing Macumba.” (Pg. 122-123)
Later, she adds, “You say ‘mysterious, supernatural forces,’ but our forces aren't the least bit mysterious---they are the most natural thing on earth!” (Pg. 164)
She observes, “But good and evil are human constructs… values created by us. The gods have never heard of them. WE ask the gods to work for good or evil ends, that is for OUR good, OUR ill. But the gods are above all that. Our morality is of little concern to them.” (Pg. 198-199)
“Brazil has many faces. It’s Portuguese, it’s Indian, but above all Black… the Indians transmitted all their secrets to our slave ancestors, and it was the blacks tho worked to keep them alive. It was the blacks’ labor tht built Brazil economically, too. Brazil is African, my child African.” (Pg. 210)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying indigenous religions.
October 18, 2017
A very entertaining read on Umbanda, even if it is sort of the Carlos Castenada of Afro-Brazilian religions (in so far as Maria-José is likely a semi-fictionalized amalgam of multiple Maes de Santo). Still, beautifully expresses some of the main concepts and the general attitude of Orixa devotees.
July 28, 2007
I particularly enjoyed this inside view of Brazilian macumba told from the perspective of an Umbanda Mother of the Gods. When reading about afro-caribbean religions I much prefer first-person accounts of the mysteries of the religion as told by advanced practitioners rather than conclusions drawn by outsiders. Umbanda and macumba are beautiful spiritual traditions; Maria Jose's descriptions beautifully capture the beliefs, ontology and wisdom of the Ubanda cult in Brazil.
June 10, 2008
This tells you about the African tradition Macumba from Brasil. If you are into this then you should read it.
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June 11, 2013just remembered this whole phase i had where i read about various religions.
really interesting book, about the sort of african/catholic/voodoo religions in brazil.
really interesting book, about the sort of african/catholic/voodoo religions in brazil.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews