RELIGIOSIDADE INDIGENA NAS AMÉRICAS

A lot has been said and written about native religions, possibly in an effort to better understand the cultures of native peoples in the Americas. In this work we are searching for a more general vision about this question, analyzing not only the native peoples of Brazil, for instance, but also the data obtained about religiosity among the descendants of the original peoples of the Americas, North, Central and South, not only to obtain a d clearer and more general understanding about the belief systems of these cultures, but also to evaluate the similarities and differences among such systems before and after the European invasions, when new beliefs, religious and in general, were being imposed upon the native peoples. First, we wish to analyze the differences between what is being known as religion and what is understood as spirituality, coming to conclude that the native belief systems are based rather on an original spirituality, or rather that there is a larger tie with what they understand as nature’s spirits, than on religions which carry on dogmas as that determines a rigid separation between belief system and political state in the same society. We came to the conclusion that indigenous peoples, through their ancestors, search for and are adapted to believe in nature’s spirits, which allow them to live in a special state of being and behavior. This gives them meaning to their lives, and to their both inter as extra tribal relations, as such beliefs are followed both individually and collectively, meanwhile not being characterized as dogmatic impositions. Nowadays, traditional spiritual practices are mixed with contemporaneous religious practices among white Europeans as well as black Africans, though these have been banished and denied of their authenticity by the European invasors. In this work, therefore, we examine specific cases of religiosity among antive peoples in the North, Central and South America, focusing on the Guatemalan Mayas, the Peruvian Laika and the Xoco and Kariri-Xoco of Brazil.Muito se tem falado sobre religiões indígenas, possivelmente numa tentativa da compreensão sobre as culturas dos povos nativos das Américas.  Neste artigo, procuramos ter uma visão geral sobre esta questão, analisando-se não só os povos nativos do Brasil, mas, por consequência, os dados obtidos sobre religiosidade entre os descendentes dos povos originais das Américas, Norte, Central e Sul, não só para ter uma compreensão mais geral e clara sobre os sistemas de crença dessas culturas, mas também avaliando-se as similaridades e diferenças entre tais sistemas antes e depois das invasões Europeias, quando novas crenças, tanto religiosas como gerais, foram sendo impostas sobre esses povos.   Em primeira instância, procuramos analisar as diferenças entre o que se denomina como religião e o que se entende como espiritualidade, chegando a concluir que os sistemas de crença nativos se baseiam muito mais numa espiritualidade original, ou seja uma ligação maior com o que entendem como espíritos da natureza, do que em religiões portadoras de dogmas e que determinam uma separação rígida entre o Sistema de crenças e estado político em uma mesma sociedade. Concluímos, portanto, que os indígenas ancestralmente procuram e se adaptam a crenças em espíritos da natureza, os quais lhes permitem um estado de ser e de comportamento especial, os quais lhes dão sentido a suas vidas, a suas relações tanto intra como extra-tribais, sendo que tais crenças são seguidas tanto individual como coletivamente, mas não são caracterizadas como imposições dogmáticas.  Atualmente, as práticas espirituais tradicionais continuam mescladas com as práticas religiosas contemporâneas tanto de Europeus brancos como de Africanos negros, embora tendo sido banidas e desconstruídas de sua autenticidade pelos conquistadores europeus.   Neste trabalho, portanto, nos debruçamos sobre casos específicos de religiosidade entre nativos tanto do Norte, como do Centro e do Sul da América ou das Américas, focalizando os Mayas da Guatemala, os Laika do Peru e os Xocó e Kariri-Xocó do Brasil.  En passant, falaremos também sobre os nativos americanos dos Estados-Unidos e do México

Changes in Fitness, physical activity, fatness, and screen time: A longitudinal study in children and adolescents

*_Objective:_* To analyze whether changes in Physical Activity Index (PAI), sedentary time (ST; TV and PC use), and Body Mass Index (BMI) made a significant contribution to longitudinal changes in Physical Fitness (PF) of children and adolescents. Additionally, we analyzed interaction between baseline fitness level and changes in fitness. 

*_Methods:_* This is a three years longitudinal study of 345 high school students aged 11-19 years. Students were invited to perform tests from Fitnessgram battery for strength (curl-ups, push-up), and Cardiorespiratory fitness (20m-shuttle run). PAI and ST were evaluated using a standard questionnaire. Standardized scores of physical fitness tests were summed (ZPF). Changes over time, were calculated Δ1 (TP1 minus TP0), Δ2 (TP2 minus TP1), and Δ~total~ (TP2 minus TP0). 

*_Results:_* Changes in PAI were positively and independently associated with changes in ZPF in Δ1, Δ2, and Δ~total~. No significant associations of ΔST and ΔZPF were found. ΔBMI was negative associated with ΔZPF in Δtotal. Participants with higher fitness levels at baseline were those who showed positive changes in PAI over Δ~total~, decreased screen time and had the lowest increase in BMI over three years compared with those who were low-fit at baseline. Conclusions: Changes in PAI were the best predictor for changes in Fitness in children and adolescents in each year and over the three years of evaluation. BMI changes were associated with longitudinal changes in PF

Axé! Santé, maladie et soins dans les terreiros de Candomblé de Bahia

Cet article analyse les significations et pratiques sur le corps, la santé, la maladie et le soin, ainsi que les hiérarchies et dynamiques de transmission de connaissances ancestrales dans quatre maisons de culte (terreiros) de candomblé localisées dans la ville de Salvador et ses environs (Bahia, Brésil). Les terreiros se différencient de par leur taille, le profil des chefs de culte (hommes ou femmes), la forme de succession et d’ancestralité ou « nation » (Angola, Ketu, Jeje). Les incursions ethnographiques nous ont permis d’approcher des cosmologies pour lesquelles les causes des souffrances doivent être cherchées à l’intérieur même des personnes et dans leurs relations avec le monde et la nature. De ce fait, les pratiques thérapeutiques impliquent une relation d’interaction et de négociation entre sujets malades et agents de guérison. Pour le candomblé, le bien-être ou la santé s’atteint par la rénovation permanente de l’axé, principe de vie ou énergie vitale qui relie les personnes aux orixás, à la famille, à la nature, aux ancêtres, et dénote également une appartenance. Les prières, les rituels, les fêtes, les nourritures sacrées, les offrandes, entre autres pratiques observées dans les terreiros, visent à cultiver et renouveler l’axé

A gente vive pra cuidar da população: estratégias de cuidado e sentidos para a saúde, doença e cura em terreiros de candomblé

Studies which explore the relations between religion and health have been showing that one of the main reasons for joining a religious institution is the quest for health care. Therefore, the choice of religious healing is influenced by previous experiences of success or by the bond with a system of beliefs that regulates social life, including health care practices. This study explores the connections between religiousness and ethnic identity in a popular neighborhood in Salvador that is characterized by its religious plurality. The main goal of the research was to investigate the relations between the cosmology of Candomblé and the conceptions and practices of health care. To accomplish this goal, it was also important to understand the social organization of Candomblé and the worldview shared by its members. It is an ethnographic study developed through participant observation and semi-structured interviews.Os estudos que exploram a interface entre religião e saúde demonstram que, entre as motivações que orientam a filiação religiosa, figura de modo destacado a busca de soluções para aflições e enfermidades. A terapêutica religiosa constitui assim uma das alternativas de cura, cuja adesão por parte de seus seguidores é influenciada, entre outros fatores, por experiências individuais ou coletivas de sua eficácia e/ou pela fidelidade a uma religião que regulam a vida em geral, incluindo as condutas relativas ao cuidado com o corpo, com a saúde etc. Este estudo explora as inter-relações entre saúde, religiosidade e identidade étnica em um bairro popular de Salvador, marcado pelo pluralismo religioso. Ao investigar as narrativas de famílias afrodescendentes membros do candomblé, busca-se compreender a relação entre a cosmologia religiosa do candomblé e as concepções e práticas de saúde e doença e cuidado. Para atingir essa compreensão, é preciso também apreender modos de organização social, crenças, visão de mundo e práticas no universo do candomblé, detendo-se especialmente nos aspectos associados com o complexo saúde-doença-cuidado. Trata-se de um estudo etnográfico desenvolvido através da observação participante e de entrevistas semi-estruturadas

Sickle Cell Disease in Bahia, Brazil: The Social Production of Health Policies and Institutional Neglect

A disease is considered neglected when it is not given due priority in health policies despite the social relevance of that disease, either in terms of the number of individuals affected by it or its morbidity or mortality. Although the causes are structural, neglect in health does not occur in a vacuum. In this paper, we explore how sickle cell disease (SCD) is constructed and neglected in Brazil, based on insights from our long-term participatory qualitative research in the state of Bahia. We present five overarching themes relevant to the social production of SCD, and associated health policies in Brazil: (1) The achievements and setbacks to overcome neglect in SCD, (2) Continuity of comprehensive SCD care; (3) Social movements of people with SCD; (4) Biocultural citizenship; and (5) Academic advocacy. We conclude that it is insufficient to merely recognize the health inequities that differentiate white and black populations in Brazil; racism must be understood as both a producer and a reproducer of this process of neglect. We conclude with a set of recommendations for the main SCD stakeholder groups committed to improving the lives of people living with SCD