CATIMBÓ – JUREMA SAGRADA

The Indigenous Tradition of the
Sacred Jurema

Brazilian Shamanism

Tilo Plöger

Copyright: © 2022: Tilo Plöger

Publisher:

tredition GmbH

Halenreie 40-44

22359 Hamburg

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher and author.

“Que as boas fumaças corram o mundo

Pelo bem da vida de todos.“

“A gente bebe a raiz da Jurema

pra chegar em outro mundo

e pra esse outro mundo

também chegar na gente"

“Vai fumaça pra onde eu mandar,

fuma cachimbo quem sabe fumar"

“Só fuma cachimbo quem sabe fumar,

Só manda fumaça quem sabe mandar.”

“O mesmo vento que leva a fumaca,

É o mesmo que traz ela para ti.”

“Os Juremeiros são médicos de almas

e a Jurema é o hospital do Nordeste"

“Meu pé de Jurema secou

Suas folhas caíram no chão

Veio o orvalho e molhou

Depois veio o sol e secou

E a Jurema se abriu toda em flor”

“Só pega no Cachimbo, quem sabe pegar

Só manda fumaça, quem sabe mandar”.

“Eu ando no mundo, e você não me pega,

Cada fumaça, eu dou uma queda”.

“May the good smokes run the world

For the sake of everyone's lives.”

“We drink the Jurema root

to arrive in another world

and to this other world

also reach us"

“Smoke goes where I send it,

smokes a pipe who knows how to smoke"

“Only those who know how to smoke a pipe smoke,

Only sends smoke who knows how to send it.”

“The same wind that carries the smoke,

It is the same that brings it to you.”

“The Juremeiros are doctors of souls

and Jurema is the hospital in the Northeast"

“My Jurema tree dried up

Its leaves fell to the ground

The dew came, and it got wet

Then came the sun and dried up

And Jurema opened up in full bloom”

“Just take the pipe, who knows how to take it

Only sends smoke, who knows how to send it”.

“I walk in the world, and you don't catch me,

Every smoke, I take a fall.”

CONTENT

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

THE CATIMBÓ

The term

Catimbo and Jurema Sagrada

The history

The Catimbó-Jurema Umbanda of the northeast coast of Brazil

The origin of the Catimbós in Alhandra

Kingdom of Acaes – Reino dos Acaes

Jurema in a psychonautical context

JUREMA – DEFINITIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS

The term

The plant

Botanical aspects

Morphological description

Juremas various names

Geographic distribution

Therapeutic properties

INDIGENOUS AND URBAN JUREMA

Indigenous Jurema

Jurema of the ATIKUM

Jurema of KAPINAWÁ

Jurema of Kariri-Xocó

Jurema in Karapotó

Jurema in Alhandra (Catimbó)

THEOLOGY AND COSMOGENY

The theology

Definitions and delimitations

Catimbó is not Macumba or Candomblé

Pajelança and Toré

Toré

The spiritual cosmos of Catimbó

THE MYTHS OF THE JUREMA

Origin myth of the Jurema among the Kariri-Shoko of Brasil

Jurema as Christ's blood

The legend of Cabocla Jurema

The Myth Of God And The Indigenous Devil

THE SYMBOLS

Introduction

Holy Pipe

Maraca

Princes and Princesses – Príncipes e Princesas

Incorporation of the enchanted

Jurema's sacred drink

Trance and possession

KINGDOMS, REALMS, DEITIES, SPIRITUAL GUIDES

The Structure of Juremá (spiritual world)

The 12 Kingdoms of Jurema

The spiritual guides

Caboclos da Jurema

Pretos Velhos e Pretas Velhas

The Masters

Other entities (guides)

Malunginho

Zé Pilintra

MESTRAS E MESTRES DO CATIMBÓ - LIST OF ANCIENT MASTERS

Ascended Masters mentioned in Meleagro

Nanãgiê, Nanãgiá, Nanãbicô, Nanamburucu.

Rei Heron (King Heron)

Pai Joaquim (Father Joaquim)

Mestre Ritango Do Pará

Mestre Carlos, King Of Masters (Rei Dos Mestres)

Mestre Manicoré

Mestre Manuel Cadete, King Of Vajucá.

Mestre Itapuã or Itapurã

Mestre Tupá

Mestre Xaramundi

Mestre Roldão De Oliveira

Mestre Bom Florar, Bom-Florá

Mestre Inácio De Oliveira

Mestre Mussurana

Principe Da Jurema

Mestra Anabar

Mestra Iracema

Mestre Pequeno (Little Master),

Mestre João Pinavaruçu

Mestra Angélica

As Meninas Da Saia Verde (The Girls Of The Green Skirt)

Mestre Tabatinga

Mestre José Pereira

Mestre Antônio Tirano

Mestre Canguruçu

Malunguinho

Mestre Pinarona

Mestra Faustina

Mestre Luís Dos Montes

Mestre Filipe Camarão

Mestre Turuatá

THE ORGANIZATION

Mestre de Mesa (Master of Altar)

About the seed

Organizational basics

THE RITUALS

The "Mesa" (The Altar)

Construction of the Mesa

Opening of the Mesa (Abertura de Mesa)

Initiation

The Seven Sciences of a Master of Jurema

Juremação e Tombo (Tombamento) de Jurema – The tumble (tumbling)

HERBS AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

Introduction

Traditional remedies

Fumigações & Defumações – Fumigations & Smokes

Unguentos - Ointments and other procedures

The Rapé

The Garrafada

Theriaca Brasilica – The Brazilian theriac

The implementation of the Garrafada in the context of the Catimbós

Herbs as listed in Meleagro

THE MAGIC AND SPELLS

Fechamento de corpo - Closing/Protection of Body

Mau-Olhado. Quebranto. Amuletos. Evil Eye. Amulets.

SOME SPECIFIC CONCEPTS

Envultamento – Wrapping / Enveloping

The magic cross

"Orações Fortes”. "Strong Prayers".

Various Works (From: Ribeiro)

To Attract One's Happiness

To Soften Enemies

To Sign Up for Life

To Keep an Unwanted Person Away from Your Life

For Discharge (Descarrego), Protection and Against Disease

To Drive Away Spirit That's Leaning On

To Increase Your Money

For a Person to Quit Drinking Addiction

To Heal a Child of Any Kind of Illness

BATHS

Banhos de Firmeza – Firming Baths

Banhos de Descarrego – Discharge Baths (Cleansing)

TRADITIONAL PRAYERS

Oração da Cabra Preta - Prayer of the Black Goat

Oração do Sonho de Santa Helena - Saint Helena's Dream Prayer

Oração da Pedra Cristalina - Prayer to the Crystalline Stone

Oração do Rio Jordão - Prayer of the River Jordan

Força do Credo - Strength of the Creed

Oração das Estrelas - Prayer of the Stars

Oração do Meio-Dia - Midday Prayer

O Credo às avessas - The Creed in reverse

Oração das Almas - Prayer of Souls

Oração dos Sete Caboclos - Prayer of the Seven Caboclos

Oração ao Sol - Prayer to the Sun

São João Batista

Santo Amanso

Oração de Santa Pelonha para curar dor de dente - Prayer of Santa Pelonha to cure toothache

Poderosa Oração de Nossa Senhora Aparecida - Powerful Prayer of Nossa Senhora Aparecida

Para as 18 Horas de Cada Dia - For the 18 hours of each day

Contra Qualquer Espécie de Doença - Against Any Kind of Disease

Contra a Cólera - Against cholera

Contra Hemorragias - Against Hemorrhages

Contra os Maus Espíritos - Against Evil Spirits

Para ter bons resultados nos negócios – To have good results in business

Contra Espíritos Obsessores e inimigos Invisíveis - Against Obsessing Spirits and Invisible Enemies

Para Anular Dificuldades e Embaraços nos Negócios - To Eliminate Difficulties and Embarrassments in Business

Ao Anjo-da-Guarda - To the Guardian Angel

Oração sonho de São Pedro - Prayer dream of Saint Peter

Oração para abrir os caminhos urgentemente - Prayer to urgently open the way

Oração Das Sete Forças Do Credo - Prayer of the seven forces of the creed

Oração À Santa Rita - Prayer to Santa Rita

CANTOS, PONTOS, LÍRIOS, LINHAS – TRADITIONAL RITUAL SONGS

“Linhas” according to Ribeiro

“Linhas” according to Cascudo in Meleagro

The structure of the songs during the rituals

Abertura - Opening

Encerramento - Closure

Licença - License

Firmeza – Firmness (for concentration of vibrational energies)

Louvações - Praise

MESTRES, MESTRAS AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES OF CATIMBÓ

Chamada de Mestres e Mestras - Masters Calling

Malunguinho

Mestre Junqueiro

Mestre Zé Pelintra - O Rei de Alhandra

Mestre Antônio Olímpio

Mestre Benedito Meia-Légua

Mestre Bernardino

Mestre Carlos

Mestre Durval

Mestre Gavião Preto

Mestre José Galo Preto

Mestre Luis Dos Montes

Mestre Luís & Mestre Jacinto

Mestre Manoel Maior - “Mané Maior”

Mestre Nego Gerson

Mestre Oliveira Roldão

Mestre Pai Joaquim

Mestre Pau Pereira - Mestre Antônio Pereira

Mestre Manoel Quebra-Pedra

Mestre José Quebra-Pedra

Mestre Sibamba

Mestre Tertuliano

Mestre Xaramundi

Mestre Zé Bebinho – Seu Zé Bibinho

Mestre Zé Da Virada

Mestre José Pretinho – Seu Zé Pretinho

Mestre Zezinho Do Acais

Maria Do Acai (or Acais, Acaes)

Mestra Amélia

Mestra Ananí ou Naní

Mestra Aninha Do Angelò

Mestra Celina

Mestra Georgina

Mestra Geraldina

Mestra Iracema

Mestra Joana Pé de Chita

Mestra Dona Zefa 6 Dedos - Josefa dos 6 Dedos

Mestra Júlia Galega

Mestra Juvina

Mestra Laurinda

Mestra Laurentina

Mestra Luziara

Mestra Maria Do Bassulê

Mestra Maria Do Bagaço

Mestra Maria Bagaçeira

Mestra Maria Do Balaio

Mestra esquerdeira Maria Doida (Crazy Mary)

Mestra Maria Luziara ou Luziaria

Mestra Mariana

Mestra Nêga Luanda

Mestra Paulina

Mestra Rita Do Bagaço

Rita Ribonesa

Mestra Ritinha

Rosinha Do Amor

Mestra Severina

Caboclos – Songs for the whole working line

Caboclo Manuel Juremeiro

Caboclo Pena Branca

Caboclo Rompe Mato

Caboclo Sete Flechas

Cabocla Tapuia

Caboclo Ubirajara

Caboclo Urubatan

Boiadeiro - Cowboy

Mestra Rosinha Boiadeira

Família De Légua Boji

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

This book about the Brazilian Catimbó is probably the first work in English that gives a little insight into this mysterious Brazilian tradition. Catimbó is a true Brazilian tradition, with roots in Northeast shamanism. It is also called the Jurema Sagrada, the Holy Jurema, because the cult is essentially based on the Jurema tree species living there. The Ayahuasca of the Amazon is the Jurema of northeastern Brazil. In Catimbó it forms the basis of the magic drink, the idiosyncratic (upside down) smoking of the pipe, the ceremonies of initiation, etc.

Jurema Sagrada, the so-called Holy Jurema, is a spiritual tradition. It is based on Indigenous shamanism and, over the centuries, mixed with European spiritualism, Jesuit Catholicism, and various African traditions.

Catimbó is perhaps the best and clearest example of the processes of Afro-European-Indigenous convergence. The "three waters" (“três águas” - one often speaks of the "three races" in Brazil) flow into a common river, recognizable in their respective elements and yet inseparably connected.

There is no uniform model, no uniform pattern to clearly describe and experience the Catimbó. There are whole families, lines that fill the tradition, all with common elements that unite them but with their own characteristics that make them unique. The oldest families are the indigenous groups who, despite the violent process of colonization since the 16th century, have preserved and developed their rituals. The tradition is very dynamic in its development, very regional and very family-related (line-related) in its characteristics. And unfortunately, it was only described for the first time in the middle of the last century. Only in the last few years has an enlightened science (in opposition to the then tendentious reporting by Christian officials) attempted to grasp and describe this tradition. – The tradition of Jurema has certainly existed much longer than the discovery of Brazil, because Jurema, like Ayahuasca, has been an integral part of indigenous traditions since time immemorial. During Jesuit missionary work and the expulsion and enslavement of the Indian peoples, the rites of individual tribes merged with one another. Like the Afro-Brazilian tradition of Candomblé, syncretic forms of shamanic cults emerged. Much has been forgotten over the centuries, hardly anything has been written down. The collection of shamanic-spiritual traditions that was once summarized under Catimbó was persecuted and suppressed until the middle of the last century. Only with the official release of the Umbanda, another Brazilian spiritualistic tradition, could the Catimbó also be freed from the clutches of the judiciary - partly adopting the rites and terms of the Umbanda.

There have been fusions between indigenous and Catholic rituals and beliefs since the 16th century. The families of the “Sertão” (the dry inland of the north-east) practiced their cults by setting up tables with saints, crucifixes, and candles, possibly under deciduous trees belonging to the Caatinga lands and on large rocks formerly considered sacred. Between the 16th and 17th centuries the first expressions of what can be considered Proto-Catimbó emerged: the "Santidades" - hybrid catholic-indigenous manifestations of spirituality. The Catimbós do Sertão, on the other hand, are characterized by a strong presence of Catholic elements. These Catimbós mixed old Pajelança (shamanic traditions) with popular Catholicism, a little European spiritism, and some elements of Jewish Kabbalah and African Quimbanda. Especially in the Rio Grande do Norte area - due to the lack of a port for the arrival of African slaves during the colonial period and the resulting low presence of blacks (compared to Recife and Bahia) - these oldest Catimbós are characterized by comparatively little syncretism with the African one’s traditions.

In other regions of the Northeast, where African presence was very relevant during the colonial period, we see the emergence of so-called "Juremeiros", families in which African elements are prominent in their practices, worship, imagery, cosmologies, and theologies. Indigenous knowledge was supplemented by the "science" of African origin brought in by enslaved blacks. Africans from different nations identified with Catimbó because it is an animistic religion that worships and communicates with nature, just as African Orishás and Voduns are connected to nature. In addition, the slaves needed knowledge of Indian herbs for their own traditions.

After the arrival of the Africans in Brazil, fleeing the plantations where they were enslaved, they found refuge in indigenous villages and through this contact the Africans shared their common religious knowledge with the Indians. That is why the great well-known Masters of the Jurema are very often mestizos with indigenous and black blood to this day. The Africans contributed with their knowledge of the Egum death cult and the nature deities, the Orishás, Voduns and Inquices. The indigenous contributed with the knowledge of the invocations of the spirits of the ancient shamans and the work carried out in the forests and rivers with the enchanted ones (Encantados). Therefore, the Jurema consists of two main working lines: the Mestres da Jurema (Masters) and the Encantados (enchanted ones).

The cult of Jurema is to the Paraíba and Pernambuco regions what the Irocô is to Bahia. This typical Northeastern tree was worshiped by the Potiguares and Tabajaras Indians of Paraíba many centuries before the Europeans arrived in Brazil. There is a community in Pernambuco that is called Jurema due to the large number of these trees that are found there. The Jurema (Mimosa hostilis), once grown, is a leafy tree that can live for over 200 years. All parts of this tree are used: root, bark, leaves, and seeds used in cleansing baths, infusions, ointments, drinks and for other ritual purposes. Devotees initiated into the rituals of the cult are called "Juremeiros". In the town of Alhandra, a municipality a few kilometers from João Pessoa, this cult became famous in the form of Catimbó. Jurema has been worshiped since ancient times by at least two major indigenous groups, the Tupi and the Cariri, also known as Tapuias. The Tupi were divided into Tabajaras and Potiguares, which were enemies of each other. At the time of Paraíba's founding, the Tabajaras formed a group of about five thousand Indians. They occupied the coast and founded the villages of Alhandra and Taquara. These places are now considered the center and starting point of the Catimbó in its present form.

Finally, it is important to emphasize that, contrary to what many believe, Catimbó is not an addendum or appendix to the Umbanda, Candomblé, Santo Daime (Ayahuasca) or any other spiritistic, magical or religious tradition. Although it can exist in parallel and in close communion with other cults and religions, Catimbó is an independent tradition that has its own dogmas, precepts, principles, and liturgies.

This book does not claim completeness or correctness. Nor is it a guide to implementation. The Catimbó can only be selected to a limited extent, it is a cult of experience. Each region, each "family" is characterized by specific characteristics, united by the rites and insignia of the Jurema, as well as the cult and incorporation of the so-called "Mestres", the Masters of the Jurema. This elaboration is essentially a collection and classification as well as reproduction of older writings about the Catimbó. Except for scientific disputes, I have kept away from almost all newer sources, because they are all very obviously heavily mixed with modern, esoteric, spiritistic forms, especially the Umbanda. From my personal point of view, the Catimbó is one thing above all - shamanism. And in the second place it is spiritistic, in the sense of using ritual forms of trance and incorporation (which, however, also existed among the Indian tribes, so they are not an "invention" of European culture).

Historically, the Masters of the Jurema were both spiritual healers and naturopaths. The knowledge of naturopathy was often taken up by the Jesuits, integrated by the African traditions, but also often forgotten. Due to the problematic legal situation in Europe and the risks of self-medication, I will refrain from describing traditional naturopathy in this book and will concentrate on describing the spiritual rites. When describing individual herbs and recipes, I orientate myself on the older writings of the Jesuits and the notes from the middle of the last century. If you want to implement the Catimbó in Europe, you can certainly use European herbalism and work in analogies. Even the Sacred Jurema, an acacia form, offers European analogies - even in a spiritual sense it is deeply rooted in Christianity. An "accidental" coincidence. With the music and the ritual objects, it makes sense and is necessary to take on the Brazilian songs. The pipes also have a very special energy in their original form and can hardly be replaced by western pipes.

The songs and prayers cannot be translated in their full multidimensional meaning - the interpretation would often be a bit more complex and is beyond the scope of this book. The translations offered are just a “quick and dirty” frame to follow und understand the basics.

In the Brazilian traditions one speaks of the "Segredo do Sagrado", the “Secret of the Sacred”. There are important ritual details that must not be reproduced publicly. Nor is it in keeping with the nature of spiritual traditions and their rites that rituals, recipes conform to a standard. The book is more of a framework for comprehensive understanding and for individual work. I would recommend anyone interested to learn and experience the tradition through an experienced group with their respective Masters. No book can replace experience and the continuation of a “work and ancestral lineage”. Especially since the spiritual world cannot be ordered and cannot be reduced to baking recipes. Without trance, without incorporation, without ritual embedding, without group dynamics, all rites and recipes are meaningless and ineffective.

Salve os Mestres e as Mestras Juremeiros.

Tilo Plöger