CASA PAI ROGERIOCarapicuíba/SPMalandros in Umbanda: Zé Pelintra and the Rio de Janeiro malandro
Line connected with the Brazilian malandro of the early XX century, often headed, according to the literature, by Zé Pelintra.
What the sources say
Teaching of a house or traditionAccording to Barros, malandros usually "descend" in Exu giras and are often confused with them. Some houses state that malandros are a type of Exu; others maintain that they have their own characteristics. The study cites Seu Zé Pelintra as head of this line.
Teaching of a house or traditionIn Umbanda's religious imagination, they represent the Brazilian malandro of poor neighborhoods in the early XX century. The literature analyzes this figure as ambiguous: seen as idle, but also clever and able to get by in any situation.
Zé Pelintra and changing classifications
Teaching of a house or traditionOne tradition includes Zé Pelintra in its baiano line and describes him through a presentation marked by white clothing and closeness to everyday problems. This is an account of one tradition, not proof of a single historical life or a rule for all manifestations under this name.
Belief / interpretationWhen comparing malandros, baianos and Jurema traditions, keep the context: a religious identity can cross different classifications. There is no need to invent a single origin to harmonize versions that houses keep distinct.
Belief / interpretationThe site does not associate the entire line with crime or addiction. Nor does it turn accounts of protection into promises of personal safety or money.
Bibliographic references
- BARROS, Sulivan Charles. As entidades "brasileiras" da Umbanda e as faces inconfessas do Brasil. Anais do XXVII Simpósio Nacional de História (ANPUH), 2013.