Sacred Leaves of Candomblé: African Magic, Medicine, and Religion in Brazil

Book Description

"Fascinating because it brings together in a single book information drawn widely from the several disciplines of geography, botany, history, and anthropology to provide an account of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé... in a competent and readable manner."

—Sandra Lauderdale Graham, author of House and Street: The Domestic World of Servants and Masters in Nineteenth-Century Rio de Janeiro

Candomblé, an African religious and healing tradition that spread to Brazil during the slave trade, relies heavily on the use of plants in its spiritual and medicinal practices. When its African adherents were forcibly transplanted to the New World, they faced the challenge not only of maintaining their culture and beliefs in the face of European domination but also of finding plants with similar properties to the ones they had used in Africa.

This book traces the origin, diffusion, medicinal use, and meaning of Candomblé's healing pharmacopoeia—the sacred leaves. Robert Voeks examines such topics as the biogeography of Africa and Brazil, the transference—and transformation—of Candomblé as its adherents encountered both native South American belief systems and European Christianity, and the African system of medicinal plant classification that allowed Candomblé to survive and even thrive in the New World. This research casts new light on topics ranging from the creation of African American cultures to tropical rain forest healing floras.

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous Book on African Religion in New World Brazil.......2004-02-04

SACRED LEAVES OF CANDOMBLÉ: AFRICAN MAGIC, MEDICINE, AND RELIGION IN BRAZIL is a fabulous book. It is lucidly written and is chock-full of useful information.
Robert A. Voeks is an Associate Professor of Geography at California State University, Fullerton. He divides his book into 8 chapters. Chapter 1 is a short introduction, which tells what he the rest of the book will be investigating - namely the transfer of the African religion and leaf medicine to Brazil. Chapter 2 -- The Bahian Landscape begins with the development of the continents and tells how the flora of South America and Africa were the same and how they were different. Chapter 3 entitled Indians and Africans relates the introduction of Africans as slaves into Brazil and they're relationship with the native Indian population. Chapter 4 - Religion of the Orixás gives the history of the African religion in Brazil and an overview of its structure. Chapter 5 - Candomblé Medicine tells the types of medicine practiced and who and how it is practiced. Chapter 6 - Medicinal Plant Classification gives the relationship of the Divinities with the plants and their usages. Wow! Chapter 7 - Candomblé Flora tells what plants are used and how they survive or arrive in Brazil. Chapter 8 - African Religion in the Americas relates how and why African religion survived and flourished in some parts of the New World and why it didn't take hold in others. The author includes an appendix on Candomblé Species List and one on House Abô for Three Candomblé Terreiros as well as Notes, Glossary, References Cited, General Index and Index of Scientific Names.
The author's beautifully coherent prose makes this book a great pleasure to read. Those who are interested in the African New World religions, ethnobotany, or the African Diaspora will find this book useful and informative. Highly recommended!

Voeks offers a fresh perspective!.......1998-03-03

Peter Voeks has accomplished something that Anthropologists and Religious Studies scholars have failed to do for years-- he has given us a fresh perspective on Candomble. Not since the early work of Robert Farris Thompson and Pierre Verger have I been so intrigued by a new publication on Afro-Brazilian religion. Voeks' book is both thoughtful and sensitive, and has something to offer the experienced student of Afro-Braziliana.

Book Description

Travelers will behold all that the city by the bay contains with the hip Moon Metro San Francisco. This sleek guide profiles the best of the city, combining selective listings of the hottest sights, shops, restaurants, amusements, and hotels with vivid color photos, graphics, and discreet, laminated, fold-out maps detailing all the must-see neighborhoods. Vacationers can bask in the luxury of the Mark Hopkins hotel and stroll through Golden Gate Park, dine on cuisine in North Beach, or catch a view of Alcatraz from Nob Hill. Moon Metro San Francisco leads the visitor to the city's top sights as well as the places only the locals know about. Clean, concise, and compact, Moon Metro San Francisco is the definitive guide to the most-visited city in the U.S.

Customer Reviews:

Great for your needs.......2003-11-21

Born in San Francisco and still live nearby. Have found this a useful book for friends and travelers looking for a compact map of the city and reliable info on places to go, where to stay or places to eat. Like the format with a map of the neighborhoods, which makes the book very convenient when walking or driving and trying to find where to go. Descriptions are short accurate and helpful. I like the size and the format for oraganizing information that is used, and the typeface in the book makes it very readable. I carry one in my car for times when visit the city.

Loved it.......2002-07-02

I have to say that this book is just cool. I just got back from my first visit to San Francisco, and I am so glad I had this guide with me. The fold out maps are very clear and helpful. Even though the book is small, it hits all the highlights. I visited several shops and restaurants listed in the back, and I was never disappointed.

Easiest Guidebook I've Ever Used!.......2002-05-22

I've lived in San Francisco for five years, but I still get lost when exploring a new neighborhood. The comprehensive pull-out maps found in Moon Metro are so detailed, that they even include those hard-to-find alleyways and cul-de-sacs. I had friends in from out of town last weekend, and I let them use my copy. They loved it! I definitely recommend this series.

Great book! Nothing comparable (from a Bay Area Native).......2002-05-22

I agree that what makes them cool is the foldout maps. The book is also pretty small. I've lived in the Bay Area all my life but still manage sometimes to get lost while hanging out in the city. I can put this in my coat pocket before I step out and not worry about looking clueless in front of my out-of-town friends. For people who are just visiting, I liked their selection of shops and places to eat. They didn't just list the usual tourist traps. And the color photos inside were pretty nifty, they could be postcards!

Better late than never.......2002-05-22

If only this book had been around when I moved to San Francisco two years ago! It's awesome. I got it as a gift and figured I knew my way around well enough that I would never use it, but I took it out one night and it's been in my purse ever since. I had out of town guests recently and they took it with them one day while I was at work. They came back raving about how easy it was to get around the city with the guide and how many great shops they found with it. Now every time I go out, I check the book first to pick a restaurant or bar.

Avalon Travel Publishing.(Living Abroad In Costa Rica)(Moon Metro San Francisco)(Vancouver and Victoria Including Whistler And Vancouver Island)(Monterey ... Review): An article from: The Bookwatch

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Avalon Travel Publishing.(Living Abroad In Costa Rica)(Moon Metro San Francisco)(Vancouver and Victoria Including Whistler And Vancouver Island)(Monterey ... Review): An article from: The Bookwatch

Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Bookwatch, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2005. The length of the article is 455 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Avalon Travel Publishing.(Living Abroad In Costa Rica)(Moon Metro San Francisco)(Vancouver and Victoria Including Whistler And Vancouver Island)(Monterey & Carmel Including Santa Cruz And Big Sur)(Arizona)(Companion To California: The Inside Scoop On Where To Take Your Dog)(Companiopn To The Bay Area: The Inside Scoop On Where To Take Your Dog)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Publication: The Bookwatch (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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The Early History of Greater Mexico
Ida Altman , Sarah Cline , and Juan Javier Pescador
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Andean Worlds: Indigenous History, Culture, and Consciousness under Spanish Rule, 1532-1825 (Dialogos (Albuquerque, N.M.).)

Mesoamerican Voices: Native Language Writings from Colonial Mexico, Yucatan, and Guatemala

The Brazilian Empire: Myths and Histories

Indian Women of Early Mexico

Beyond Black and Red: African-Native Relations in Colonial Latin America (Dialogos Series)

ASIN: 0130915432

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Early History of Greater Mexico, The
IdaCline, SarahPescador, Juan Javier Altman
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIPP5I

Book Description

The exotic textiles of Java have intrigued the outside world for the past 150 years. Batik, the legendary fiber art of painting and dyeing fabrics using a waxing process, has been influenced by cultures as diverse as the Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, and English. Like no other book before it, Batik takes the reader on a spellbinding tour of Java, revealing batik's history, motifs, and methods of production.

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive research of batik as an art........2006-01-04

This book is essential for anyone interested in batik and its history in the Indonesian island of Java. It also provides Java's religious background and how batik was affected by Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. The pictures are outstanding, showing to the reader the complexity of batik and the great talent of Indonesian batik artists. I would recommend this for anyone, especially those interested in art or Indonesian culture.

Visually Stunning.......2004-08-01

This book is eye candy. The fabrics shown in this book have amazing detail, sophisticated designs, and the colors are beautiful. The fabrics are lovingly photographed. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in design, patterns, or textiles. And the book itself is beautifully produced.

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BATIK, FABLED CLOTH OF JAVA
Inger McCabe Elliot
Manufacturer: Clarkson N.Potter, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QRPLG0

Book Description

"There is quite simply nothing else around that can tell you anywhere near as much about desert sheep, by anywhere near so distinguished a crew of authors."--"Safari." (Animals)

THE DESERT BIGHORN. ITS LIFE HISTORY, ECOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT

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THE DESERT BIGHORN. ITS LIFE HISTORY, ECOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT
G. & L. Sumner (eds.) Monson
Manufacturer: University of Arizona Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WQ15LU

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The 20-Minute Vegetable Gardener: Gourmet Gardening for the Rest of Us
Marty Asher
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Vegetables | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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The 20-Minute Gardener: The Garden of Your Dreams Without Giving up Your Life, Your Job, or Your Sanity

SC-COMPOST THIS BOOK PAPR

ASIN: 0679448152
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Amazon.com

Mutt and Jeff, Bert and Ernie, Click and Clack, and now, for the would-be kitchen gardener, Tom and Marty! If dumbed-down straight guy/funny man humor tickles your fancy, you are sure to love Tom and Marty's The 20-Minute Vegetable Gardener.

There are 10 or so basic principles for 20-minute vegetable gardening. They range from "grow high impact crops such as hot peppers or asparagus" to "choose crops according to local conditions," and from "nurture soil" to "learn how to water."

There are chapters on bean sprouts, salad greens, cabbage-family plants, root crops, herbs, and tomatoes. Each chapter begins along lines like these: "Having finished the installation of his garden bed, Marty was hot to start planting. He was dreaming, he said, of the most extraordinary salads. That made Tom anxious. Marty always makes Tom anxious, but in this case, Tom had reason." Punch line: it was too late in spring to plant salad greens, according to Tom. This leads to brief discussions of how to plan a planting calendar, how to select seedlings at a nursery, how to care for seed, and several good salad crops. The chapter discussion is followed by "20-Minute Projects," such as planting lettuces in a decorative way, and, in the case of chapter 4, "The Salad Course," planting salad fixings in window boxes.

A novice gardener would have to slog through the entire book to have any sense of what to do. There is nothing unique or particularly noteworthy in the text; nothing that isn't available elsewhere in a more straightforward, more easily accessible package. But then, with The 20-Minute Vegetable Gardener, the package is the whole shtick. --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

Everyone loves garden-fresh vegetables, but who has the time or energy to grow their own? You do--if you adopt Tom and Marty's tried-and-true schemes and tricks for 20-minute vegetable gardening.

They'll help you create from scratch a ready-to-plant garden in less than two hours, and then help you choose the easiest, most rewarding plants for your region and your tastes. You'll learn tips for winning the neighborhood tomato contest and how to turn a stack of old tires into an heirloom potato patch. Discover the perennial vegetables you plant once and harvest for years, and claim as your own the recipes for Brighton Beach borscht, Japanese radish pickle, and sweet- potato pie. Encouraging, practical, and always unexpected, The 20-Minute Vegetable Gardener means liberation for home growers everywhere.

Book Description

Donne and the Politics of Conscience in Early Modern England examines the responses of John Donne and his contemporaries to post-Reformation debate about authority and interpretation. It argues that the legal and epistemological principles, as well as the narrative practices, of casuistry provided an important resource for those caught in the welter of conflicting laws and religions. The first two chapters explore the political, historical, and theological contexts of casuistry, locating Donne in debates about the limits of reason and the relativity of law and ethics. Chapter three addresses Donne's concern with problems of moral decision and action, of knowledge and definition, in five of his prose works. Chapter four examines ways in which his verse assimilates and wittily subverts casuists' responses to epistemological and linguistic uncertainty. The study is particularly useful for literary critics, intellectual historians, and theologians.

Donne and the Politics of Conscience in Early Modern England.(Brief Article): An article from: Journal of Church and State

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Donne and the Politics of Conscience in Early Modern England.(Brief Article): An article from: Journal of Church and State
William B. Robison
Manufacturer: J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Church and State, published by J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State on September 22, 1997. The length of the article is 447 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Donne and the Politics of Conscience in Early Modern England.(Brief Article)
Author: William B. Robison
Publication: Journal of Church and State (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1997
Publisher: J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State
Volume: 39 Issue: n4 Page: 806-807

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

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Donne and the Politics of Conscience in Early Modern England.(Review) : An article from: Renaissance Quarterly

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Donne and the Politics of Conscience in Early Modern England.(Review) : An article from: Renaissance Quarterly
Annabel Patterson
Manufacturer: Renaissance Society of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Renaissance Quarterly, published by Renaissance Society of America on December 22, 1998. The length of the article is 704 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Donne and the Politics of Conscience in Early Modern England.(Review)
Author: Annabel Patterson
Publication: Renaissance Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 1998
Publisher: Renaissance Society of America
Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Page: 1388(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Written in the 15th century by the Bohemian humanist and writer Johannes Von Saaz, Death and the Ploughman is a tragic dialogue between Death and a recently widowed farmer. Here, it is dramatized by the acclaimed translator Michael West as an adversarial duel where the farmer's defense of mankind is as strong as Death's ruthless prosecution of his own cause.

"Quite extraordinary ... This translation is an eloquent one, filled with jeweled words and edged debate, a tribute to the original author, and a serious achievement by his successor."- Irish Times

"Immensely personal, manifestly skeptical of received religious wisdom, and utterly fascinating, a Dürer engraving given audible life."- Sunday Independent

Death and the Ploughman was published to tie in with its production at the Gate Theatre, London, in October 2002.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Playwright!.......2004-11-13

Michael West is forever smart, witty, intellectual, humorous, and passionate. His plays are webs of diverse perspectives told like old tales.
He's is truly an exceptional writer of our time.

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