Posted on Jun 10, 2021
Sacred objects: From police evidence to museum pieces
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One of Mãe Nilce de Iansã's childhood memories is hearing her aunt saying over and over again: "We have to get back our things from the police!".
"Do you know what happened to our things that were taken by the police?", her aunt, a Candomblé leader called Mãe Meninazinha de Oxum, would ask other people who visited the terreiro, the place where followers of Afro-Brazilian religions gather to worship.
For a long time, Mãe Nilce says, she did not know what her aunt was referring to. But over the years, she began to hear stories about how, in the past, police officers had stormed their terreiros and seized religious objects.
It was all part of a crackdown dating back to the late 19th Century on what authorities labelled "black magic". The items would be seized to never be seen again by their owner.
But last September, some of them were finally "freed".
"Do you know what happened to our things that were taken by the police?", her aunt, a Candomblé leader called Mãe Meninazinha de Oxum, would ask other people who visited the terreiro, the place where followers of Afro-Brazilian religions gather to worship.
For a long time, Mãe Nilce says, she did not know what her aunt was referring to. But over the years, she began to hear stories about how, in the past, police officers had stormed their terreiros and seized religious objects.
It was all part of a crackdown dating back to the late 19th Century on what authorities labelled "black magic". The items would be seized to never be seen again by their owner.
But last September, some of them were finally "freed".
Sacred objects: From police evidence to museum pieces
Posted from bbc.com
Police
Law Enforcement
Museums
Culture
Religion
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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You really have to wonder about what happens to stuff here in America when the police get their hands on it; or try to get their hands on it. Check out what happens to you if you happen to be carrying just a decent amount of cash if the cops stop you. My son puts in oil pipelines. He always carries about $500.00 on him when he heads out to a new job. Anyway the cops were looking for a guy who matched his description and had a similar truck. He got pulled over and when they saw the money they said he was a drug dealer and wanted to confiscate the money. Another call came over the radio, which my son heard, saying they had caught the guy they were looking for. They still wanted my son's money but let him go after about another 1/2 hour. Makes you wonder doesn't it?? I also have black friends who got puled over for driving a car while being black.
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