Curandeiros (as), Benzedeiras (os) e Consertadores (as): a cura a partir dos saberes tradicionais em Itacoatiara AM

Abstract

This article explores the traditional knowledge of people who practice healing in their neighborhoods in the city of Itacoatiara, Amazonas. The discussion is conducted through the lens of local history and the use of oral history to gather sources. Traditional knowledge is a collection of practices and customs that reflect the history of healing across generations, stemming from the syncretic relationships of diverse cultures, including Indigenous, African, and European. This cultural practice is performed by men and women, identified by local communities as healers, benzedeiras, or menderos. These individuals were interviewed, and their accounts serve as the primary sources for this work. These contributors include Adervan Santarém, Delza Viana, and Ivo do Rosário. We contextualize this knowledge within the historical context, where it has received many interpretations and, as a result, has suffered persecution and prejudice. In Itacoatiara, healing practices, expressed through blessing and reparation, remain alive among the locals, who place their faith in these practices and their "agents" to treat the body, soul, and spirit. This study aims to contribute to the research and preservation of this knowledge and to a more visible and understood cultural history of the place.