Catarina Juliana and her cult group: rituals and religious practices in eightheenth Century Angola

Abstract

This article describes and interprets the religious practices performed by the Angolan priestess Catarina Juliana (and her cult group) in an inland region of the Kingdom of Angola during the 18th century. The rituals and symbols described in the inquisitorial process against Catarina Juliana are interpreted based on a hermeneutic and comparative analysis, using an approach coming from symbolic anthropology. The case analyzed shows that Angolans, even when baptized in the religion of the colonizers, continued their traditional religious practices. It seeks to demonstrate that different rituals, previously led by specialized priests, came to be accumulated by the banganga of the same cult society in 18th century Angola.